Surprised by the Wikipedia “Picture of the Day” on this Christmas Day, and on my phone this morning; for the real thing, so to speak, is known to me, and to be viewed just a very few kilometres away from where I live in Germany. The picture depicts one of the panels of Hans Pleydenwurff’s “Dreikönigs” altar piece in the famous medieval St. Lorenz church in the heart of Nuremberg.
Reminded me also, and not gladly so, of one of my plans earlier in the year that went awry, and that was to visit Ghent to see Jan Van Eyck’s restored altar piece in St. Bavo’s Cathedral, and a greater exhibition of his works at the Museum of Fine Art. Alas. For the moment at least, here is a visual tour of the exhibition that was forced to close early. And, a lot has been written about it, and especially the “mystic lamb” – for instance, here at the NYT, and by Jonathan Jones at The Guardian.
Looking again at some of Van Eyck’s work, and other early Netherlandish painters, elements from that school can be discerned in Pleydenwurff’s work; just a generation on and in southern Germany.