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Secondary sourcePainting1424

Thomasaltar

Master Francke · 1424

A 1424 altarpiece commissioned by Hamburg merchants trading with England, reflecting devotion to Thomas Becket among Hanseatic traders.

Commissioned by merchants who traded with England, showing how devotion to Becket spread among Hanseatic traders.

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Detail of a medieval panel painting showing a group of haloed women in red, blue, green and white robes. One woman in blue holds her hands up, and a long-haired woman in green kneels in front. A gold-haired man stands behind them, and a white dog sits at lower right.
Master Francke, Thomasaltar (detail), 1424. Hamburger Kunsthalle.

About this source

What it is

This altarpiece was painted by Master Francke in 1424 and commissioned by merchants from Hamburg. It is now held in the Hamburger Kunsthalle.

The detail shows a group of haloed women in colourful robes, with a kneeling figure and a standing man nearby.

Why it matters

The altarpiece was commissioned by merchants who traded with England, and it reflects how the cult of Thomas Becket spread across Europe through trade networks. It shows that Becket's story mattered not only to the English church but to merchant communities on the continent, nearly 250 years after his death.

Look closer

  • Who do you think commissioned this altarpiece, and why might merchants want to honour a saint from another country?
  • What does the presence of multiple haloed figures tell you about how saints were grouped and remembered?
  • What is missing from this image that might connect it more directly to Becket himself?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Thomas Becket on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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