Creglinger Altarpiece (Herrgottskirche)

Tilman Riemenschneider exploited the warm surface of limewood instead of covering every figure with conventional polychromy. The restrained finish makes carved facial expressions, folds, and shadows central to the effect.

The central shrine represents the Assumption of the Virgin, with Mary rising amid the apostles. Above it, the Coronation of the Virgin completes the altarpiece's upward movement.

The retable is famous for its relationship with light inside the Herrgottskirche near Creglingen. Around the Feast of the Assumption in August, sunlight can enter the church and illuminate parts of the shrine, although weather and viewing conditions vary.

The work is attributed to the workshop of Tilman Riemenschneider, one of the leading German sculptors around 1500. It is generally dated to the early sixteenth century and remains in the Herrgottskirche.