South German, Swabia, circa 1500

with Reinhold Hofstätter, Vienna, 7 October 1960

Overall the condition of the reliefs is good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is non-active worming to each relief. There is splitting to the wood consistent with material. Note the following specific observations: Relief 1 (Christ): The relief is composed of four panels mounted on board; joints are visible. There is cross hatching along the central joint. There are two inserts to the bottom and a few plugs. there is a loss to the top left corner and to above the trees. There are irregular edges to the top due to worming. There is a restored section to the left of the trees. There is an insert to the left of Christ's beard and to above and below Christ's drapery at the far left. Relief 2 (St Paul): There is a prominent split at the right side. The top left corner is possibly replaced. There are knots to the halo. The relief is mounted on board. Relief 3 (St John): Comprised of two panels, and a joint is visible. There are irregular edges, especially to the left side, due to worming. The bottom left corner is reattached with glue residues. There are losses to the hair. There are some traces of polychromy, particularly to the drapery above his proper right foot.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Narrative low-reliefs from late Gothic Germany were often based on graphic sources. Scenes from the Life of the Virgin and the Passion, the main subject-matter of altarpieces, relied heavily on the prints of Dürer, Schongauer, and unknown monogrammists like the Masters ES, HL and AG. The present carvings may only be fragments of a relief of Christ on the Mount of Olives, but the inspiration must have come from engravings of the same subject by Schongauer and the Master AG (Lehrs 19 and 81). In both of these prints, Christ is represented kneeling in a rocky landscape as he receives a vision of his impending death, while three Apostles sleep in the foreground in slightly different configurations. A number of major altarpieces contain a scene based on these sources, including Veit Stoss’ altarpiece for the St. Sebald church in Nuremberg, Tilman Riemenschneider’s Holy Blood altarpiece in Rothenburg, and that made for the Franciscan monks from the same town, now in Schloss Berchtesgaden.

RELATED LITERATURE
S. Guillot de Suduiraut, Sculptures allemandes de la fin du Moyen Age dans les collections publiques françaises 1400-1530, exh. cat. Musée du Louvre, Paris, 1991, pp. 178-183 and 200-202, nos. 46 and 55; R. Kahsnitz, Die Groβen Schnitzaltäre. Spätgotik in Süddeutschland, Österrreich, Südtirol, Munich, pp. 222-237