Colmar is a charming town in Alsace. A "must see" here is the Unterlinden Museum, which displays the remarkable Issenheim Altar. The museum is housed in a former Dominican convent built in the 13th century; the Issenheim Altar is displayed in the Gothic chapel of the convent.
Above, a rather mystical, new-age Christ rises on the Issenheim altar. Little is known about the artist, Gruenwald, thought to be responsible for these paintings. Whoever he was, he created this masterpiece in the early 1500's.
The origin of this masterpiece is murky, and many pieces of the original altar have disappeared. What remains is a startling series of painted doors and wood carvings. This is a work of art that you can spend hours appreciating.
Saint Sebastian is, not surprisingly I guess, the patron saint of archers. People with the plague prayed to Saint Sebastian for help. I'm not so sure that was much help.
Inside the "reredos" of the altar, one finds this image of the Temptation of Saint Anthony. Note the victim of "Saint Anthony's fire" in the lower left corner. Click on the picture to get a bigger view.
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Comments (18)
Thanks for your fine descriptions and photos of the Issenheim Altar and the House of Heads. I haven't been to Colmar for many years, must go back for a closer look.
I've been wanting to check out Alsace for quite some time now & you certainly bring Colmar to life, Paul!
love your page.. there's a resort modelled after colmar in malaysia.. but after seeing your pictures, i definitely wanna see the real place!! thanks for sharing!! :)
hello hello Ex-ex -guy Paris. I have just been reconnaissancing epic 2003 trans-Alsatian photos missed that Issenheim altar what did we do before the internet?
Very nice page, visited idyllic Colmar trwice. Thank you for your comment on my most visited page!
Beautiful page, and very interesting travelogue! I've been to Colmar once many years ago, but maybe it's about time I take another trip...
Super travelogue, tres interessant! Je viens d'aller voir la petite version de la statue a Paris pour la 1ere fois, meme si j'ai habite a Paris quelques annees! Par contre, je ne suis jamais allee a Colmar... ca a l'air pas mal pourtant!
glorious paintings and great architecture. Colmar is quite a gem. thanx for sharing Paul there should be more infos on Gruenewald on the net ^..^
great page and those paintings and the colours are so beautiful - I just have to see them!
This is an official invitation. Come to Madrid, I will take you to El Prado and you will not want to leave. Build, build, build!!!
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