How does this artwork elucidate its History?
The painting was commissioned by Frankfurt merchant Jakob Heller, for the Dominican church of the city. In 1615, the central panel, the only one by Dürer alone, was sold to Maximilian I of Bavaria; a copy was ordered to replace the original in its location at the church's high altar. The central panel was destroyed by a fire in Munich in 1729.  The famous drawing of two praying hands in the Albertina in Vienna is a study for one of the apostles in the central panel. The side panels, executed by Dürer's assistants, were completed by other four commissioned to Matthias Grünewald in 1510. The side shutters were detached in the 18th century, and each of the two panels composing them were separated in 1804.
Jakob Heller Frankfurt Albertina Dominican church Matthias Grünewald Vienna drawing of two praying hands Maximilian I of Bavaria