South German, circa 1600

with David Peel & Co. Ltd., London, 1965
private collection, London
by descent to the present owner

London, David Peel & Co. Ltd., From Riccio to Clodion. An Exhibition of European Works of Art, 28 April - 21 May, 1965

From Riccio to Clodion. An Exhibition of European Works of Art, exh. cat. David Peel & Co. Ltd, London, 1965, no. 21

Overall the condition of the bronze is good with dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is wear to the gilding, in particular to the nose and to the proper right arm and hand (where there may potentially be some restorations). There is also some minor rubbing including to the proper left elbow. There is minor tarnishing, including to the shoulders. There are a few small lacunae, including to the hair, and to the proper left wrist and elbow. There are also one or two minor casting fissures, including to behind the proper left knee and above the proper right ankle. There are a few further casting flaws, such as to the proper right calf muscle. There are a few small original casting plugs, including to the chest, lower back and to the back of the proper left arm. There are some spots of greening including to the proper right side of the perizonium behind the fluttering drapery. The crucifx formerly held by Christ in his left hand is lost.
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When this refined gilt bronze Risen Christ was exhibited with David Peel in 1965, it was attributed to the Austrian sculptor Johann Baptist Hagenauer (1732-1810). Further research has established that the bronze is, in fact, much earlier in date. The slender physiognomy and fluid sense of movement, are closer to German mannerist bronzes of the late 16th and early 17th centuries. The classicising, toned, musculature and the graceful pose are, for example, reminiscent of figures by the Nuremberg-based Dutch sculptor Johann Gregor van der Schardt (c. 1530-1580), in particular his Mercury (see the cast in the J. Paul Getty Museum, inv. no. 95.SB.8) and his Autumn from the destroyed Fountain of Prague, cast by Wenzel Jamnitzer (c. 1507-1585), in the Kunsthistorisches Museum (inv. no. 1126), Vienna.

The strongest comparison can be found in the oeuvre of Hubert Gerhard (c. 1540-1631), another Dutch artist active in South Germany. The present figure's svelte torso, with high pectoral muscles and lengthy abdomen, are close to Gerhard's Christ in his relief of the Resurrection from the Christoph Fugger Altar of 1581 in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (inv. no. A20-1964). There is also an obvious compositional similarity between the two, with both figures raising their right arms, whilst their lowered left arms support a bannered crucifix (lost in the present bronze).

The present Christ's perizonium, appears, at first glance, unusual, and seems incongruous with a late 16th/ early 17th century date. With its angular folds and fluttering drapes, it is reminiscent of the type of drapery found in earlier Gothic wood sculpture. However, this form of drapery is seen in another gilt bronze Risen Christ with mannerist inspired physiognomy in the Peter Marino Collection (Warren, op. cit. no. 5). Jeremy Warren has argued that this bronze is probably Flemish or South German, c. 1600-30, and suggested that it was a product of the so-called 'Dürer revival' of the early 17th century. The present bronze should be viewed within this same historical context. The fluttering drapes find clear correspondences in the work of Martin Schongauer and it seems likely that the sculptor was looking back to such sources; see Schongauer's engravings of Christ Blessing and The Resurrection in the British Museum (inv. nos. 1895,0915.271 and 1895,0915.251). The unusual 'sun-burst' hair arrangement may also be a consequence of the sculptor attempting to mimic the light halos, which often appear in these graphic sources. Returning to the Marino bronze, it is interesting to note that the drapery is likwise stippled; such textured surfaces are a typical feature of South German bronzes. Consider also the similar treatment of the hair to the back; as in the present bronze, multiple wavy strands of hair terminate in twists of curls.

The surface of the present figure has clearly been carefully chased after casting, giving the bronze a goldsmith-like finish. Note, in particular, the textured surface of the drapery, the crisp eyelids and brow, and the punched nipples.

RELATED LITERATURE
M. Baxandall, 'A Masterpiece by Hubert Gerhard,' Victoria and Albert Museum Bulletin, vol. i, no. 2, April 1965, pp. 1-17; P. Fusco, Masterpieces of the J. Paul Getty Museum. European Sculpture, Los Angeles, 1998, pp. 35-37, no. 9; J. Warren, Beauty and Power. Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes from the Peter Marino Collection, exh. cat. The Wallace Collection, London; The Huntington Art Collections, San Marino; and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis; London, 2010, pp. 70-73, no. 5