He lived and worked in Lübeck, and from 1468 owned a house on Johannisstrasse street in the city, implying a certain degree of wealth and fame.
[1][2][3][4] One of Rode's most imposing works of art is his mature High Altar of St. Nicholas' Church, Tallinn.
Of his art, The Grove Encyclopedia of Northern Renaissance Art notes that it displays: [...] characteristic features such as his distinctive type of female head, with a prominent forehead, receding, softly rounded chin and strangely overcast, half-closed eyes.
The bodies, however, are oddly boneless and retain the pointed, forward-stepping Late Gothic stance, and the colours are still dull and thinly painted.
Later, influences from the Netherlands, especially from Bruges (Gerard David), became stronger, particularly in the palette, with bright, clear colour combinations resembling those of the Westphalian Master of Liesborn.In his importance he stands equally next to his fellow countryman Bernt Notke.