Altarpiece of St Catherine's Church, Zwickau [right wing]

The Zwickau altarpiece, for which this 1518 right wing panel was produced, was a major commission for St Catherine's Church in the Saxon town of Zwickau — an important industrial and mining centre. Cranach produced the entire altarpiece at his Wittenberg workshop, which by 1518 was operating at a highly productive scale. Altarpiece wings flanked a central devotional image and typically depicted saints or narrative scenes. This wing's content and saints would have been determined by the wishes of the patron and the dedication of the altar in question. The panels remain in the Katharinenkirche today, one of the rare cases of a Cranach altarpiece surviving in its original location.

The wing panel format required Cranach to adapt his compositional approach to a tall, narrow field, typically suited to standing saints. His characteristic fine brushwork and detailed costume painting are fully evident, and the figures retain the slightly elongated elegance typical of his mature court style.