Master of the Berlin Birth of Christ
The master of the Berlin Birth of Christ was active in southern Germany from 1330 to 1340. He knew Italian art firsthand. In terms of form and color, he is particularly close to Florentine art, but he also seems to have been familiar with Sienese painting.
The Berlin birth of Christ (33 × 24 cm) together with a crucifixion panel formed a folding altar made of two wings . Because of its small and handy format, it was probably mainly used as a travel altarpiece. The birth picture is a copy of the fresco by Giotto from around 1303/1305 from the arena chapel . The change in the mother-child relationship is significant in terms of content: Mary holds the child in her arms instead of - as in Giotto's picture - taking it out of the crib. A motif from the area of the devotional image is thus integrated; Giotto's mighty figures become small genre motifs.
At the birth of Christ in Berlin , a picture from monumental art was transferred to a small format.
literature
- Robert Suckale : Gothic. The rebirth of art, from Giotto to Lochner. In: Ingo F. Walther (Ed.): Painting of the world. An art history in 900 image analyzes, from Gothic to the present. Taschen, Cologne et al. 1999, ISBN 3-8228-6942-2 , pp. 7-78.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Master of the Berlin Birth of Christ |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | medieval painter |
| DATE OF BIRTH | before 1330 |
| DATE OF DEATH | after 1340 |