An artist’s work can be immensely popular and familiar, yet the artist remains almost unknown. This is definitely true for Heinrich Hofmann (1824 – 1911). He was one of the most celebrated painters of his time but now he is rather overlooked. His style of painting was unique and influential in its own way, and at the same time based on the traditional art of old Dutch, Italian and German masters of the Renaissance. Religious paintings are among Hofmann’s most celebrated motifs but he has also created numerous portraits and images that depict mythological and historical topics. Four of his most famous liturgical works are in the possession of the Riverside Church in New York.