Master Bertram operated a large workshop in Hamburg in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. His greatest work was the altarpiece for the Church of St. Peter, an enormous polyptych. The sculptured parts include a Crucifixion scene and 44 statues of prophets and saints. There are also 24 painted panels in two rows.
The twelve paintings in the top row illustrate the story of Creation, up to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and their first labors. The lower left paintings depict other stories from the Book of Genesis, and the lower right paintings illustrate the infancy narrative.
