Altarpiece of St Nicolai church Döbeln [inner movable wing, left]: Holy Pope blessing

The altarpiece is very elaborately decorated with carved branch tracery, and in addition to the carved screens numerous chamfers are also decorated. In the central shrine beneath a delicate baldachin of foliage the life-sized carved figure of St Nicholas with a crozier and the three pieces of gold on his book stands in the centre, on his left (from the viewer’s perspective) is St Leonhard with a crozier and a chain, and on the right St Wenzel in armour with a spear and shield. The frame is covered with foliage and two holy stand on each side figures representing the four Church Fathers: left Jerome and Augustine, right Gregor the Great and Ambrosius.

The wings are constructed in a similar manner: At the bottom quarter elegant columns carry an arched architectural element consisting of two segmental arches, within which the evangelists sit with their attributes at desks: left the evangelist John with the eagle and Matthew with the angel, right Mark with the lion and Luke with the bull. Above this beneath an artistic open worked frame are on the left the carved figure of the evangelist John (chalice of poison) and St Florian (armour and banner) as well as on the right Mary Magdalene (ointment jar) and St Barbara (tower). In the richly carved predella beneath a double arch there is a relief depicting the Death of the Virgin. Flanking the predella are the electoral coats of arms and the Döbeln city coat of arms with the three towers. Until 1885 beneath this or on the mensa there was a further predella with a representation of the Last Supper.

[http://www.kirchgemeinde-doebeln.de/index.php/nicolai/altar; accessed 11 Aug 2015]