Kilchberg altar: Saint Florian

Florian, the Roman-period patron saint of Austria and of those threatened by fire, was a significant figure in the religious culture of southern Germany and Austria. His inclusion in the Kilchberg altar suggests a patron with Florian devotions or a chapel with a dedication that included his cult. Florian is typically depicted as a Roman soldier pouring water on flames — an attribute making his image both dramatically vivid and immediately recognisable. Zeitblom's panel in the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart is part of the broader Kilchberg programme providing one of the best documented examples of his altarpiece work.

The soldier-saint format for Florian parallels that of Sebastian and George: military equipment, upright stance, identifying attribute. Zeitblom renders armour with the reflective surface treatment demanded by the material, contrasting it with softer modelling of face and hands.