Nicholas of Verdun (c. 1130 – c. 1205) was a renowned metalworker, goldsmith and enamellist active around the years 1180–1205. He was born in the city of Verdun, Upper Lorraine. The region extending from the valley of the Rhine and Meuse rivers to Cologne was the major northern center of copperplate enameled metalwork in the 12th century and Nicholas was probably trained in one of the many Mosan workshops. Although he must have maintained a large atelier of his own with numerous assistants, possibly based in Verdun, commissions in Cologne, northern France and outside Vienna required him to travel frequently. Around the year 1200, a new awareness in northern Europe of Byzantine art, coinciding with a revival of interest in classical art, led to the emergence of a highly classicizing style of figural representation in stone sculpture, metalwork and manuscript illumination. Nicholas of Verdun was a leading practitioner of this short-lived proto-Renaissance as seen in the enameled plaques of the Klosterneuburg Altar and the Three Kings Shrine in Cologne Cathedral. Historical background In the mid-12th century, casting surpassed hammering as the principal technique for modeling in metal. The process of bronze casting outlined by Theophilus around 1100 gives a clear sense of the kind of work Nicholas performed. Casting allowed for greater freedom of movement and gesture of figures. His work The work of Nicholas saw the transition from late Romanesque to early Gothic styles such as the enameled altarpiece which was created for Klosterneuburg Monastery around 1180. His work also applied the technique of champlevé enameling. During his career he spent most of his time traveling to different locations where he was commissioned to develop most of his work. His work shows the understanding for conventions on utilizing the physicality of classical draperies which oblique the figures, resembling Byzantine art. He was an innovator and a master metalworker. Records indicate that most of his work ranges from figurines, to decorated candles with precious stones and shrines. Nicholas of Verdun is known today because he signed his work in stone, as "NICOLAUS VIRDUNENSIS" and established the tradition of artists signing their work. The Verdun Altar The Verdun Altar is located at the Klosterneuburg Monastery in Austria. It was made in c.1181 and it is named after Nicholas of Verdun. Its composition contains detailed decorative panels which depict biblical scenes. The work is divided into 3 compartments that are comprised out