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The Unterlinden Museum holds Matthias Gruenewald’s circa-1515 “Isenheim Altarpiece” — one of the most powerful paintings ever produced.

That idea, told simply through recognizable, timeless images, is partly why the Isenheim Altarpiece’s importance and popularity have persisted for centuries, Mr. Atkins said.

The Isenheim Altarpiece’s painted panels are at once gruesome and hopeful.

Above, explore each numbered annotation to read more about some key and surprising features of the Isenheim Altarpiece, which the writer Francine Prose recently traveled to see.

The Isenheim Altarpiece, just under an hour away, would have to wait.