Lochner, Stephen (1390?-1451), was one of the most important German painters of the 1400’s. He led a group of artists who worked in Cologne. Mysticism characterizes his work. Lochner painted Virgin Marys and saints with downcast eyes, absorbed in pious contemplation and heedless of their surroundings. His work resembles that of the Flemish artist Jan van Eyck, but is less realistic. Lochner’s birthplace is unknown, but he moved to Cologne about 1430 from the district around Lake Constance. One of his most famous paintings is The Adoration of the Magi.
