Jabach Altar: Saints Simeon and Lazarus

The Jabach Altar: Saints Simeon and Lazarus, painted around 1500 as part of the Frankfurt altarpiece wing, shows two figures from the New Testament who were important in the theology of recognition: Simeon who recognized the Christ child in the Temple, and Lazarus who was raised from the dead as a sign of Christ's divine power. The painting belongs to Dürer's mature altarpiece production, when his technical command — the quality of paint handling, the integration of figures within architectural settings — had reached the level that would support his most ambitious devotional commissions. The paired saints provided opportunities for the contrasting physiognomy and pose that he explored throughout his career.

The characterization of the two saints shows Dürer's skill in differentiating individual personalities through distinctive facial features, postures, and drapery arrangements within the altarpiece format.