Master of Messkirch (c. 1500–1543 ?)
»St. Benedict in Prayer«

c. 1540, Tempera and oil on wood

According to the »Legenda Aurea«, a collection of legends from the lives of the saints, Saint Benedict withdrew to a cave to pray for a period of three years. During that time he was cared for by the monk named Romanus, despite the fact that the devil shattered the bell with which the saint was called to meals.

A remarkable feature of this painting is the attention given by the artist to the representation of legend and the nature. As a result, the painting of Saint Benedict shows affinities to the style of the Danube School, which the Master of Messkirch applied in a more traditional, down-to-earth fashion. This panel comes from either the Petershausen Monastery near Constance or Saint Peter’s Monastery near Freiburg/Breisgau. [ EW ]