Master of the Ehningen Altar, (active c. 1475/80 presumably in Rottenburg a. N.)
»Ehningen Altar«

c. 1476, Tempera and oil on spruce with canvas-covered front sides, canvas-covered front panels

As the emblem indicates, the »Ehningen Altar« was commissioned by the Palatine Countess Mechthild, who resided in Rottenberg a. N. from 1455 to 1482. The countess donated it to the parish Church of Saint Mary in Ehningen, near Böblingen, presumably in connection with the rebuilding of the choir in 1476. The centre panel of the triptych shows the Resurrection of Christ. The three women at the tomb and the encounter between Mary Magdalen and Christ, as gardener, are seen in the background.

On the left interior panel we see the resurrected Christ appearing to Mary and His later Ascension into heaven. The opposite, right-hand panel shows Christ with the doubting Apostle Thomas and the miracle of Pentecost. The exterior side panels depict the Annunciation. Both the conceptual scheme and the details suggest that the »Ehningen Altar« was based upon a lost retable done by the Netherlandish artist Dieric Bouts, who is believed to have been the mentor of the artist, who was presumably a native of southern Germany. [ EW ]