Sieben heilige Nothelfer

Hans Burgkmair the Elder's Seven Holy Helpers (Sieben heilige Nothelfer) belongs to the devotional tradition of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, a group of saints whose intercession was invoked against specific diseases and dangers. The Seven or Fourteen Helpers had particular popularity in Germany and Austria during the late medieval and early Renaissance periods, their collective power invoked in times of plague, childbirth complications, and other life-threatening situations. Burgkmair's treatment, informed by his Italianate awareness of monumental figure composition, gives each saint individual dignity within the collective devotional program.

The painting demonstrates the technical conventions and artistic vocabulary of the period, with attention to composition, color, and the rendering of form appropriate to the subject.