Kilchberg altar: Margaret the Virgin

Margaret the Virgin — Margaret of Antioch — was one of the most widely venerated virgin martyrs of the medieval period, her legend involving miraculous escape from a dragon. The dragon, swallowed by her and burst open by the cross she carried, is her standard attribute and the source of her association with childbirth and safe delivery. Her inclusion in the Kilchberg altar programme reflects the broad popularity of her cult across Catholic Europe. Zeitblom's panel in Stuttgart is part of the same altarpiece group that includes John the Baptist, Florian, and George.

Margaret's dragon attribute gives Zeitblom the opportunity to paint a fantastic creature alongside the saint figure. The dragon — typically small and depicted under her feet or at the end of a leash — is rendered with the same descriptive precision as the saint's clothing and attributes.