Martin Schongauer was a crucial link between the Gothic tradition and the rise of the peintre-graveur-painters who imparted an understanding of space and shading to their engravings. Schongauer was the son of a goldsmith, which accounts for his loving approach to this ornate print. He filled the recesses of the crosier with the minute detail that is a hallmark of northern printmakers, from the tiny Saints Margaret and Barbara in the archways to the microscopic figures capering across the top of Mary's throne.