Neustadt Retabel [left wing]: Baptism of Christ [recto] Christ Taking Leave of his Mother [verso]

The Neustadt Retabel left wing with the Baptism of Christ and Christ Taking Leave of his Mother (1513) at the Stadtkirche St. Johannis in Neustadt an der Orla is one component of a multi-panel altarpiece whose different panels depicted scenes from Christ's life on their rectos and verso faces — a format that provided multiple devotional programs depending on the liturgical occasion and whether the altarpiece was open or closed. The Baptism of Christ was theologically significant for Luther's understanding of sacramental grace, and its appearance on this 1513 altarpiece — four years before the Reformation's beginning — demonstrates how central this subject was to devotional practice. The survival of these panels in the church for which they were made gives them the same documentary significance as the Zwickau altarpiece panels — evidence of continuity with the original devotional context through the Reformation and subsequent centuries.

Lucas Cranach the Elder employs precise linear draftsmanship and decorative elegance to convey the spiritual gravity of the subject. The treatment of the figures shows careful study of earlier masters, while the palette and lighting create the devotional atmosphere the subject demands.