French, probably Champagne, 15th century

Maître Blache, Hôtel Rameau, Versailles, Collection d'un amateur bourguignon, 9 March 1975, lot 58
on loan to Museum Schnütgen, Cologne, September 2009 to December 2012

Overall, the condition is good with dirt and wear to the surface, consistent with age. The figure was once completely polychromed and a reddish hue remains in particular. There are numerous losses, including to the drapery, in particular to the folds dropping from both arms. There are losses to the base, including a large loss to the back of the base on the proper left side. There are seven bezels to the mitre. There are a number of chips, including to the edges of the neck and collar, to the tip of the hat and to the cloth with inscriptions. The nose is restored. There are some scratches, including to the proper left side.
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‘Cephalophore’ derives from the Ancient Greek phrase ‘head-carrier’. The artistic motif of representing figures holding their own heads signified their martyrdom.

The present sculpture bears a strong resemblance to other sacred works from the region of Champagne, in Northeastern France. The sculpture of Saint Nicaise in the Musée du Louvre, Paris (inv. no. RF 1051), also a cephalophore and dated to the second half of the fifteenth century, compares well to the present sculpture. Furthermore, Leroy illustrates a bishop saint from the fifteenth century in the Church of Saint-Pierre in Bar-sur-Aube (op. cit., p. 172), which shares a similar physicality to the present saint: sturdy and slightly stocky, with a rounded compact face. The simplicity of the drapery is also similar. The present bishop wears robes, with few heavy folds and discreet areas of decoration. The repetition of IHS, a Christogram, adds detail of decoration to his robes and neck line. A stone Saint Hubert in the Church of Saint-Hubert in Par-les-Chavanges from the fifteenth century, also illustrated in Leroy (op. cit. p. 175), is modelled with equivalent physical proportions.

RELATED LITERATURE
F. Baron, Sculpture française. Moyen âge, Paris, 1996, p. 178, no. RF 1051; P.E. Leroy, Sculpture en Champagne au XVI siècle, Dijon, 2009, p. 172 and 175