description Kefermarkt Altarpiece Overview
The Kefermarkt Altarpiece is a monumental late Gothic winged altarpiece created around 1490-1497 for the parish church of Kefermarkt in Upper Austria. Carved primarily from limewood by an unidentified master and workshop, its shrine contains nearly life-size figures of Saints Peter, Wolfgang, and Christopher beneath elaborate architectural canopies. The work is distinguished by deeply undercut drapery, individualized faces, and dense ornamental carving intended for close devotional viewing.
insights Ranking position
Kefermarkt Altarpiece ranks #68 of 206 in the Altarpiece ranking, behind Baglioni Entombment, ahead of Stefaneschi Altarpiece.
help Kefermarkt Altarpiece FAQ
Which saints stand in the central shrine of the Kefermarkt Altarpiece?
The central figures are Saints Peter, Wolfgang, and Christopher. Nearly life-size carving gives the three saints a monumental presence within the parish church at Kefermarkt.
Who carved the Kefermarkt Altarpiece?
Its maker is not securely identified and is conventionally called the Master of the Kefermarkt Altarpiece. The scale and variations in carving indicate that a workshop with multiple skilled sculptors participated.
Did the Kefermarkt Altarpiece originally have color?
Yes. The limewood structure was originally painted and gilded, although most of that surface treatment no longer survives.
What did Adalbert Stifter do for the Kefermarkt Altarpiece?
The writer and conservator Adalbert Stifter directed a major restoration campaign from 1852 to 1855 after deterioration threatened the work. That intervention helped preserve the late Gothic monument, though restoration methods also affected its surviving painted surface.
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