Bernhard Strigel was born into the third generation of a family of artists and remained connected with his hometown, Memmingen, throughout his life. There he was not only recognised as an artist but also as a councillor, a guild master and an envoy in various causes.

In Memmingen he produced a rich variety of altarpieces that were sent to places as far afield as Chur and Feldkirch. He often used motives from woodcuts by Martin Schongauer and Albrecht Dürer. His religious paintings were inspired by Dieric Bouts and Lucas Cranach.

He was equally important as a portraitist. In this role, he received many commissions from Emperor Maximilian I and eventually became his court painter. He depicted leading humanists in numerous portraits that display the influence of Hans Holbein I.