Laurentius-Altar: Almosenspende des hl. Laurentius

Michael Pacher's Laurentius Altar panel depicting Saint Lawrence Distributing Alms belongs to his altarpiece program illustrating the career of the Roman deacon-martyr, one of the most celebrated saints of early Christianity. Lawrence's distribution of church treasures to the poor — declaring them to be the true riches of the Church — before his own arrest and death on a gridiron was among his most celebrated acts. Pacher's characteristic combination of Italian perspective depth with German figure expressivity and the sculptural presence of his carved and painted altarpiece programs makes his Laurentius panels among the most sophisticated altarpieces in Austrian territory.

Pacher's revolutionary command of perspective creates a deep architectural space derived from Mantegna's example, within which the narrative unfolds with dramatic clarity and the precise detail of Northern European realism.