Christ appears to the apostles

Christ Appears to the Apostles, painted around 1440, depicts one of the post-Resurrection appearances in which the risen Christ reveals himself to his gathered followers — most likely the appearance in the upper room described in John's Gospel, when he shows his wounds and breathes the Holy Spirit upon them. This panel from the Heisterbach Altar programme completed the Paschal narrative begun with the Passion scenes, offering the resolution of Christ's victory made visible to his followers. The apostles' responses — wonder, kneeling, gestures of recognition — provide the compositional animation that the single figure of Christ could not supply alone.

Tempera on panel. Multiple apostle figures arranged around the central Christ provide compositional variety through differentiated postures and expressions. The risen Christ is typically rendered with a luminous quality — whiter garments or a subtle golden light — that distinguishes him from the surrounding mortal figures.