''Adoration of the Trinity'' (also known as Landauer Altarpiece; German: ''Allerheiligenbild'' or ''Landauer Altar'') is an oil-on-panel painting by German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer, executed in 1511 and now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum,

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, Austria.

History

The work was commissioned by the rich merchant Matthäus Landauer of

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

for a chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity and All the Saints in the ''Zwölfbrüderhaus'' ("House of Twelve Brothers"), which he had founded with Erasmus Schiltkrot in 1501. The house was a charity institution which could house up to twelve artisans who were unable to sustain themselves with their work; Landauer himself lived here from 1510 until his death.Carty, 146 The altarpiece was commissioned in 1508, but was delivered three years later, when it was placed in the church.

Description

The altar had no movable panels, as in numerous previous similar installations, and was included in a rich frame, also designed by Dürer. There is a carved depiction of the Last Judgement at the top of the frame, and it also displays the donors' coats of arms. The crowded altarpiece depicts the

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...

, with God the Father holding a crucifix with a still-alive Jesus. Above them, in a cloud of light surrounded by cherubims, is the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. God the Father wears an imperial crown and a wide gilt cloak, lined in green and supported by angels. The artist paints a host of male and female saints of Heaven, inspired by

Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North A ...

, who are led by

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

and the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

, respectively. Below, the human multitudes are divided between religious men and women (left, led by the pope), and laymen, led by the Holy Roman Emperor—a division similar to that already adopted by Dürer in the ''

Feast of the Rosary ''Feast of the Rosary'' (German: ''Rosenkranzfest'') is a 1506 oil painting by Albrecht Dürer, now in the National Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic. According to Czechoslovakian art historian Jaroslav Pešina, it is "probably the most superb pai ...

'' (1506). At left, near a cardinal who is perhaps interceding for him, is the aged Matthäus Landauer, wearing rich garments and putting down his hat. A peasant, with one of his tools, represents the poor classes. On the right is an enigmatic queen whose face is entirely hidden by a veil, which leaves only the eyes visible. The lower section is occupied by a large landscape with the dawn above a lake, among hills, inspired by landscapes by

Albrecht Altdorfer Albrecht Altdorfer (12 February 1538) was a German painter, engraver and architect of the Renaissance working in Regensburg, Bavaria. Along with Lucas Cranach the Elder and Wolf Huber he is regarded to be the main representative of the Danube S ...

and

Joachim Patinir Joachim Patinir, also called Patenier (c. 1480 – 5 October 1524), was a Flemish Renaissance painter of history and landscape subjects. He was Flemish, from the area of modern Wallonia, but worked in Antwerp, then the centre of the art market ...

. There is also a self-portrait of Dürer holding a cartouche with the signature and date inscription:

Gallery

File:Albrecht Dürer 053.jpg , The altarpiece with Dürer's frame File:Durer, Adoration of the Trinity 05.jpg , Detail with the veiled queen File:Durer, Adoration of the Trinity 07.jpg , Detail with self-portrait and inscription

Sources

*Carty, C. M. (1985). Albrecht Dürer's Adoration of the Trinity: a reinterpretation. ''

Art Bulletin The College Art Association of America (CAA) is the principal organization in the United States for professionals in the visual arts, from students to art historians to emeritus faculty. Founded in 1911, it "promotes these arts and their understa ...

'', 67: 146–153. *

External links

Page at museum's website

{{Authority control Paintings by Albrecht Dürer 1511 paintings Paintings in the collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Paintings depicting the Crucifixion of Jesus Paintings of the Virgin Mary Paintings depicting John the Baptist Birds in art Altarpieces Paintings depicting the Holy Trinity