Jakob and Hans Strüb were two brothers who were active as painters in early 16th-century Germany. They probably trained with their father, the painter Peter Strüb the Elder. Both specialised in large-scale altarpieces and may also have produced the sculptural elements of such ensembles. The present work was originally part of a large altarpiece in the church of Saint John the Baptist in the Augustinian monastery of Inzigkofen. It was subsequently broken up into fourteen panels in order to be sold. The present panel depicts The Visitation, an episode recounted in the Gospel of Saint Luke. It is located outdoors in front of the house of the Virgin’s cousin Elizabeth, with the two women shown embracing. The unusual way of representing their pregnant condition follows the French and German tradition, with a small child depicted in their stomachs. Christ appears surrounded by rays of light with his cousin Saint John kneeling before him. The backgrounds are painted in gold, following the traditional, popular format. The composition reveals clear stylistic similarities with the work of Bernhard Strigel, another German master, for example, in the use of the arch that frames the scene.

16th Century16th Century - Germanic paintingPaintingOilpanel
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