WOLGEMUT, Michael
(b. 1434, Nürnberg, d. 1519, Nürnberg)

Resurrection

c. 1485
Panel, 174 x 111 cm
Alte Pinakothek, Munich

Hans Pleydenwurff died at the height of his career in 1472. Michael Wolgemut, his gifted assistant, married his widow and inherited Pleydenwurff's workshop. One of the last commissions that Pleydenwurff contracted was the so-called Hofer Altarpiece for the church of the Holy Trinity in Hof, which featured painted wings with the Life of Christ for a sculptured central shrine. It is generally assumed that Wolgemut and his shop were responsible for the paintings after the death of Pleydenwurff. The panel depicting the Resurrection has been attributed to Wolgemut's hand, and while the attribution is not certain, the style of this colourful panel represents the fine fusion of Flemish and Germanic that characterizes the heritage of Pleydenwurff. The composition is based on panels by Dieric Bouts, such as that on the right wing of altarpiece in Granada and the Resurrection in Pasadena.