St. Elizabeth of Thuringia (1207-1231) is one of the most famous saints of the Middle Ages. As Landgravine of Thuringia, she was known for her extraordinary charity and dedicated her short life to caring for the poor and sick. After the early death of her husband, Landgrave Ludwig IV, she withdrew from courtly life and founded a hospital in Marburg, where she herself worked as a nurse. Because of her selfless charity, she was canonized in 1235. She is considered the patron saint of the poor, the sick and social aid organizations.
This panel painting, created around 1500 in the Upper Rhine region, depicts Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia in oil on a stippled gold ground. The master painter placed her on a plinth; the ground is tiled in a white and red checked pattern, which creates a realistic impression of depth. The background of the painting is embossed with fine tendrils, a technique that lends the surface structure and a luxurious appearance. The saint’s nimbus is also worked into the gold ground, emphasizing her holiness. The detailed hallmarking reflects the light and further enhances the sacred aura of the depiction.
Focus on St. Elisabeth
Elisabeth is dressed in a long grey dress that emphasizes her humility and modesty. Over this she wears a bright red cloak with a green inside, the color combination of which creates a harmonious contrasting effect and was often chosen for depictions of Elisabeth. Her white headscarf is wrapped tightly around her head and falls gently over her neck, an equally characteristic element in the depictions of Elizabeth, which could indicate her connection to the Franciscan idea of poverty. Her feet are clad in black, pointed shoes in keeping with late Gothic fashion.
In her hands, she holds a pewter pot and a plate with a roast chicken. This offering, which she holds out to the viewer, refers to her charitable work, in particular the feeding of the poor. Her posture in three-quarter profile and her concentrated gaze on the offered food lend the scene a calm, almost meditative effect.
Location & positioning
The painting was probably part of an altarpiece, possibly a larger retable dedicated to several saints. Such panels were often arranged in pairs or rows to create a liturgical and narrative structure. The depiction is comparable to the painting of Elisabeth on the right wing of the Sebastian Altarpiece by Hans Holbein the Elder from around 1516, now in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. Another similar depiction can be found on the left-hand side wing of the altar retable in St. Moritzkirche in Mittenwalde from around 1514, created by an unknown master from the Cranach workshop.
Stylistically, the painting is part of the Upper Rhine painting tradition from around 1500, which is characterized by fine drawing, bright colours and meticulous detailing. The combination of a chased gold ground and illusionistic depiction of space shows the transitional phase between the late Gothic and early Renaissance periods. The precise rendering of fabrics, metals and surfaces impressively enhances the material presence of the figure. The master painter responsible here was active in one of the most important art centers in Europe at the time, the Upper Rhine. His work is closely related in composition and figure conception to the panel paintings of the important Upper Rhine master of the Bendaschen Madonna (see Altarpiece with St. Dorothea and St. Barbara, c. 1490/1500, Fürstenkapelle, Cistercian Abbey of Lichtenthal, Baden-Baden).
The panel painting thus not only offers a remarkable example of late Gothic piety culture in terms of art history, but also a deep insight into the veneration and pictorial representation of St. Elisabeth of Thuringia.
Literature
Dietrich von Apolda, Leben und Legende der heiligen Elisabeth, Frankfurt am Main 1997.
Barbara Stühlmeyer, Elisabeth of Thuringia. Spirituality – History – Impact, Kevelaer 2018.
COMPARE
https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/wd/DAGK5avvXdwIWQ
https://lucascranach.org/de/DE_MKM_NONE-MKM001C
Further comparison of clothing:
