The Altar of the Three Kings

Hans Baldung Grien painted this Altar of the Three Kings in 1506 during his early career, shortly after leaving Dürer's Nuremberg workshop. Baldung was Dürer's most gifted pupil, but quickly developed his own more expressionistic, sometimes uncanny style. This altarpiece shows his emerging individuality while still reflecting Dürer's compositional influence. The tempera medium required careful preparation on a gessoed panel and a disciplined layering technique that produced precise, durable surfaces suited to the intricate detail expected of devotional painting.

Oil on panel with Baldung's characteristic vivid coloring and dynamic figure arrangement. The bold color contrasts and expressive faces distinguish his approach from Dürer's more restrained classicism.