St. Hedwig of Silesia, St. Elizabeth of Hungary, and St. Mary Magdalene

Mikołaj Obilman's panel depicting Saints Hedwig of Silesia, Elizabeth of Hungary, and a Third Saint presents three Central European royal women saints with particular relevance to the Polish-Prussian region where Obilman worked. Hedwig of Silesia and Elizabeth of Hungary were both German-born noblewomen who became queens through marriage before dedicating themselves to charitable service — their cults were especially strong in the eastern German and Polish territories. Their presence in a regional altarpiece reflects the localized devotional culture of the Baltic and Polish territories that valued saints with geographic and dynastic connections to their own history.

Obilman renders the three saints with individualized attributes and distinguishing features, using the detailed, jewel-bright coloring and gold grounds characteristic of Central European panel painting.