Konrad Witz


Konrad Witz was a German-born painter, active mainly in Basel, Switzerland. His 1444 panel The Miraculous Draft of Fishes has been credited as the earliest extant faithful portrayal of a landscape in European art history, being based on observation of real topographical features.
Witz is most famous for painting three altarpieces, all of which survive only partially. The earliest is the of about 1435. The next is the Altarpiece of the Virgin, which has been associated with panels now in Basel, Nuremberg, and Strasbourg. Witz's final altarpiece is the St. Peter Altarpiece of 1444, painted for St. Peter's Cathedral, Geneva, and now in the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire, Geneva, which contains his most famous composition, the Miraculous Draft of Fishes.
The painting of St. Christopher does not seem to be related to these major altarpieces. Other independent works by Witz and his followers can be found in Naples, Berlin, and New York.