NARRATOR: This relief from the wing of an altarpiece retains a remarkable amount of its original paint and gilding, or gold decoration. Most Medieval sculptures were painted but rarely do the colors survive as well as they do in this scene of the Baptism of Christ. St. John appears on the left in garments made of camel’s hair. Notice how the use of polychromy, or painted colors, makes these figures more lifelike. The pink blush on the cheeks is an especially good example of this. Julien Chapuis.

JULIEN CHAPUIS: We have to imagine the production of sculptures in large workshops in Central Europe.

NARRATOR: There was a great demand for altarpieces in Central Europe from the fifteenth century until the Reformation in the early sixteenth century. Models were typically used—most often drawings. In the middle of the fifteenth century, more and more sculptors began to use prints as the source for their compositions to ensure rapid and easy production.

JULIEN CHAPUIS: This particular composition is based on an engraving by Martin Shongauer, and his wonderful composition was spread by the medium of engraving throughout Europe served as the model for many, many artists, over a very wide area, actually from Spain all the way to Poland.