KULMBACH, HANS VON

(Hans Süss; c. 1480-1522)

German painter fromAlbrecht Dürer's workshop where he was active in c. 1500. Kulmbach became a citizen of Nuremberg in 1511 and in 1514-1516 he is documented in Krakow, Poland, where he painted severalaltarpieces. HisTucher Altarpiece(1513; Nuremberg, Church of Sebald) shows Dürer's influence in the solidity and monumentality of the figures. The work is asacra conversazionetype with theVirginand Child surrounded by saints.Venetianinfluence, learned through Dürer, is clearly discerned in the work, particularly in the inclusion of the landscape as backdrop, the isolation of the Virgin and Child from the other figures through architecture, and theBellini-like musical angels at their feet. A versatile master, Kulmbach also rendered landscapes and portraits. An example of the former is theCalling ofSt.Peterin theFlorence Uffizi(1514-1516), an evocative work filled withatmosphericeffects. An example of his portraiture is theMargrave Casimir of Brandenburg(1511; Munich, Alte Pinakothek), with the sitter's heraldic devices prominently displayed to articulate clearly his social standing.