Kefermarkt altarpiece
The wing panels depict scenes from the life of Mary, and the altarpiece also has an intricate superstructure and two side figures of Saints George and Florian.
The identity of its maker, known by the notname Master of the Kefermarkt Altarpiece, is unknown, but at least two skilled sculptors appear to have created the main statuary.
Christoph von Zelking, lord of nearby Schloss Weinberg [de] and adviser to Emperor Frederick III, commissioned the building of a new church for Kefermarkt between 1470 and 1476.
[1][2] In his last will and testament from 1490 he provided the money to pay, in installments, for an altarpiece dedicated to Saint Wolfgang also after his death.
Because of its unusual quality, it has unconvincingly been proposed that the altarpiece was made by Tilman Riemenschneider, Veit Stoss, Michael Pacher and Albrecht Dürer.
[4] He is mentioned in archival records as "painter", but this doesn't necessarily mean that he was not also skilled in woodcarving, and it is known that he had commissions in both Upper and Lower Austria.
[8] The church was restored in 1670 and at this time it appears that the altarpiece was altered, with changes made to make it more in line with the prevalent Baroque taste.
[9] The altarpiece was originally partially gilded and painted, but today only fragments remain of the polychromy.
[10] In the late 18th century, the entire altarpiece was covered with whitewash to better suit the taste and ideals of the day.
In 1852 the pastor approached the governor of Upper Austria Eduard von Bach [de] and asked for help with restoring it.
The question engaged the local government, who viewed the altarpiece as a "national monument" and its restoration as a matter of honour.
[7] The Kefermarkt altarpiece has been called "one of the greatest achievements in late-medieval sculpture in the German-speaking area.
[15] The central section is divided into three shallow niches each holding a slightly larger than life statue of the saints Peter, Wolfgang and Christopher.
[16] Unusually, Saint Christopher is not depicted as a strong giant, which was the medieval tradition, but as a young man.
[17] His facial features "show him to be a man of considerable energy and drive", according to art historian Rainer Kahsnitz.
He supports himself with a rough branch as he carries Christ across a river, and the wind ruffles his clothing.
[21] In the annunciation scene, Mary is portrayed kneeling in a praying stool inside a half-open structure, supported by unusually carved pillars, crowned above their capitals with figures which are probably intended to be prophets from the Old Testament.
The archangel Gabriel is entering the structure, and holds a speech scroll where parts of his greeting, the Ave Maria, is visible.
[21] Mary gazes on the infant Christ while one of the Magi is kneeling in front of him; the child plays with the gold in the box he is bringing.
Above the head of Saint Peter, Christ appears in a cloud, receiving the soul of his mother in the form of a small figure.
