The Presentation in the Temple

The authorship of this drawing is documented through the signature and master’s mark on its rear side, making it one of four known drawings by Stoß, who – alongside Tilman Riemenschneider – was the most important German sculptor in the Age of Dürer. While the inadequate understanding of perspective, the crowded and relief-like depiction of the group of figures, and the absence of the dynamic drapery that is characteristic of Stoß’s work are all surprising at first glance, there are parallels to other works by the master – particularly to his engravings. The drawing is also akin to the paintings of the Münnerstädter altar, and it provides a further argument in favour of the controversial attribution of this altar to the master himself.