Konrad Witz (1400/1410 probably in

Rottweil Rottweil (; Alemannic: ''Rautweil'') is a town in southwest Germany in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Rottweil was a free imperial city for nearly 600 years. Located between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alps, Rottweil has nearly 25,000 in ...

, Germany – winter 1445/spring 1446 in

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

, in current day

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

) was a German painter, active mainly in Basel. His 1444 panel '' The Miraculous Draft of Fishes'' (a portion of a lost

altarpiece An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting o ...

) has been credited as the earliest extant faithful portrayal of a landscape in European art history, being based on observation of real topographical features.Borchert, Till-Holger. ''Van Eych to Durer: The Influence of Early Netherlandish painting on European Art, 1430-1530''. London: Thames & Hudson, 2011. 58. Witz is most famous for painting three altarpieces, all of which survive only partially. The earliest is the ' of about 1435, which today is mostly in the Kunstmuseum, Basel, and with isolated panels in other collections. The next is the ''Altarpiece of the Virgin'' (c. 1440), which has been associated with panels now in Basel, Nuremberg, and Strasbourg ('' Saint Madeleine and Saint Catherine'',

Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame The Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame (or Frauenhausmuseum in German) is the city of Strasbourg's museum for Upper Rhenish fine arts and decorative arts, dating from the early Middle Ages until 1681. The museum is famous for its collection of orig ...

). Witz's final altarpiece is the ''St. Peter Altarpiece'' of 1444, painted for St. Peter's Cathedral,

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, and now in the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire, Geneva, which contains his most famous composition, the ''Miraculous Draft of Fishes''. The painting of ''St. Christopher'' (Kunstmuseum, Basel; illustrated) does not seem to be related to these major altarpieces. Other independent works by Witz and his followers can be found in Naples, Berlin, and New York (

Frick Collection The Frick Collection is an art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection (normally at the Henry Clay Frick House, currently at the 945 Madison Avenue#2021–present: Frick Madison, Frick Madison) features Old Master paintings and Europe ...

Notes

1400s births 1440s deaths 15th-century German painters German male painters People from Rottweil Artists from Basel-Stadt 15th-century Swiss painters {{Switzerland-painter-stub

See also

Notes