The court of the Holy Roman Emperor, originally based in Prague, played an important role in supporting artists as patrons during the Northern Renaissance. During this time period, works of art were often painted on wooden panels and are referred to as "tempera on panel" or "oil on panel." A panel painting is a painting made on a flat panel made of wood, either a single piece or a number of pieces joined together. Until canvas became the more popular support medium in the 16th century, panels were the normal form of support for a painting not painted directly onto a wall (known as a fresco) or vellum, which was used for miniatures in illuminated manuscripts and paintings for the framing.
Albrech Durer is a well known artist of the Northern Italian Renaissance who found a patron in Emperor Maximillian I. Durer. Like most painters during this time period, Durer painted on wood panels.
Albrecht Durer, Self Portrait, 1500.
This self portrait of Albrecht Durer was painted on a wood panel, as the canvas had yet to become the prevalent medium of choice.