- 342
A South German Limewood Figure of Saint John, from the Workshop of Tilman Riemenschneider (1460-1531), Circa 1490, Franconia
Estimate
250,000 - 350,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Limewood
- 45 1/4 in.; 115 cm.
Provenance
A farm near Sinsheim or Unterfranken, 1932
Galerie Dr. Phil. Hans Rudolph, Hamburg, acquired from the above
Dr. Caspers, Hamburg, acquired from the above, circa 1950s
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Galerie Dr. Phil. Hans Rudolph, Hamburg, acquired from the above
Dr. Caspers, Hamburg, acquired from the above, circa 1950s
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Condition
Some worming and losses throughout, particularly in hair and head. Some worming at chest. Loss to edge of drapery along vertical back edge of drapery on his proper right side. Losses on top of creases of drapery along his proper left side possibly, in part, due to exposure to the elements. Losses to base including: several toes on his proper right foot. Front of base and front portion of proper left foot are restorations. Two patches of restoration to curved edge of drapery upheld by his proper right hand. Top of nose restored. Fill on top of head (due to knot in wood and to stable crack half-way down back). Some fill on underside of base and back left of drapery at base. Age cracks. Stable. Beautifully carved.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.
Catalogue Note
Tilman Riemenschneider’s unique sculptural vocabulary is clearly recognizable in the carving of this poignant figure of the grieving Saint John. Arguably the preeminent medieval German sculptor, his distinctive manner of representing facial features (almond-shaped, down-turned eyes emphasized with thin lines on the lids, aquiline nose, diminutive, pursed lips and dimpled, pointed chin) combined with the authentic treatment of the skin incised with fine creases, are all a leitmotif of Riemenschneider's distinctive style of carving. The combination of compositional details, including the multiple diagonals created by deep folds in John’s mantle, the gentle tilt of the Saint's head, the shift of weight to his left leg, and the use of opulent, open curls of hair framing his youthful visage create a sense of sculptural mass and movement.
The larger forms of the drapery enveloping this figure are typical of the master’s earlier works, a detail which is often attributed to his years of training in the Upper Rhine and Strasbourg. As Krohm discusses in the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition in 1999 (op. cit.), we find figural types in Riemenschneider’s sculpture that can be traced to the works of Niclaus Gerhaert, who worked in Strasbourg, which at that time was the most important center for sculpture in Southern Germany next to Ulm. Specifically, the cascade of deep folds down Saint John’s proper left side is echoed in other early sculptures by Riemenschneider and his workshop; the draperies protrude and recede. The folds of the generous mantle, the long diagonal line of drapery across the figure and the bunching of the drapery along one side is also seen in his alabaster Saint Barbara, circa 1485-90 (Chapuis, op. cit., cat. no.4), his Saint John the Baptist, circa 1490, from Hassfurt (Chapuis, op. cit., fig. 1) and his female Saint from the North Carolina Museum of Art, circa 1490 (Chapuis, op. cit., cat. no.10). In the present sculpture, there is barely a hint of the workshop’s more planar, sharp-edged and calligraphic treatment of drapery so conspicuous in Riemenschneider's later works.
Clearly, this figure of Saint John was carved for an altar upon which the youthful disciple, and a figure of the Virgin slightly inclined to the right, flanked the crucified Christ. John’s pathos is palpable as he quietly raises his right hand, covered by the weighty mantle, to wipe away his tears. A similar gesture is also seen in the wood figure of Saint John from an archway in Heidingsfeld (fig. 1). In the present sculpture, however, the Saint supports his right elbow with his left hand in a common gesture of mourning, often seen in sculpture from antiquity. This position of the arms was also employed in the figure of Mary on the far right of the Lamentation group from Grossostheim, circa 1510. Furthermore, this composition recalls the carving of several figures from one of the groups made for the Passion altarpiece for a church in Rothenburg, circa 1485-90, now in the Bayerisches National Museum, Munich. Originally flanking a Crucifixion, the figures in the Munich group similarly reveal profound sorrow. The mourning woman in the back wipes her eyes with her mantle and the sculptor uses long diagonal folds and smaller curves of drapery to provide a sense of movement and animation.
This Saint John's eyes are downward-sloping, emphasized by his protruding brow bone covered with a fold of skin above the lid. This creates a contrast of light and shadow, further intensifying the sense of overwhelming grief. These details are also evident in the face of Mary from one of the Munich Passion groups (fig. 2). Riemenschneider's workshop added one or more creases under the eyes, depending on the age of the subject. Michael Baxandall discusses the master’s manipulation of eyes in his sculptures to accommodate the changing position of the viewer. The eyes are often assymetrical, as in the present sculpture and the Mary in fig. 2, to achieve the correct appearance when viewed from different angles. The touches of black pigment in St. John's irises and the red in his lips, a typical practice of the workshop, convey a greater sense of realism.
In recent years, research regarding the workshop's use of elaborate ornamentation embellishing the surfaces of some sculptures, has determined that certain figures were not meant to be painted. In the present case, the lack of punched or engraved patterns in the wood and the traces of polychromy in the recesses of the drapery folds (although probably later), indicate that this figure was originally painted. Saint John's clothing is humble, much like that of the Saint John on the far left of the Windscheimer apostle altar group, circa 1509 (fig. 3).
Riemenschneider ran a large workshop where he taught apprentices and employed journeymen fluent in their master's vernacular. The sculptor’s fame was widespread; he was in high demand from local churches, towns and wealthier members of the region and he also received commissions beyond the boundaries of his home. Although it was necessary to rely on his assistants for portions of the work, the carvings were given final approval by the master himself. The majority of sculptures from the workshop were removed from their original settings and therefore remain undocumented. The present figure was apparently purchased from a farmer in Seinsheim in Lower Franconia not far from Würzburg.
Few sculptures by Riemenschneider and his workshop remain in private hands. Stylistic analogies between the present figure of Saint John and other established works by Riemenschneider and his workshop place it firmly within the master’s oeuvre.
Tilman Riemenschneider (1460-1531) was born in Heiligenstadt in Thuringia and may have trained as a stone mason in Erfurt, specializing in alabaster. He settled in Ulm for a time where he may have worked as an apprentice to Michel Erhart. Settling and marrying there in 1483, he became a citizen and a member of the painter's Guild of Saint Luke, achieving the status of 'Meister'. His new wife's wealth provided a large house with sufficient space for workshops and quarters for assistants, apprentices and his family. He subsequently received numerous commissions from various town councils, including one in 1490 from the town council of Münnerstadt for an altarpiece for the high altar of St. Maria Magdalene, the parish church. The elements of that altarpiece are now dispersed. Further major commissions were executed by Riemenschneider's workshop for local patrons as well as for clients in Franconia and Saxony. In 1504, he was elected to the city council and in 1509, he was the first artist to be elected to the Upper Council in Würzburg. The sculptor was elected mayor of the town in 1520-21, by which time he had married for the fourth time. In 1525, when the Peasants' Revolt swept through Germany, Riemenschneider and other council members opposed the demands of the Prince-Bishop Conrad von Thüngen and attempted to assist the peasants in their struggle for freedom from serfdom. The sculptor died in 1531 and was buried in the cemetery next to the Würzburg Cathedral.
RELATED LITERATURE
The larger forms of the drapery enveloping this figure are typical of the master’s earlier works, a detail which is often attributed to his years of training in the Upper Rhine and Strasbourg. As Krohm discusses in the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition in 1999 (op. cit.), we find figural types in Riemenschneider’s sculpture that can be traced to the works of Niclaus Gerhaert, who worked in Strasbourg, which at that time was the most important center for sculpture in Southern Germany next to Ulm. Specifically, the cascade of deep folds down Saint John’s proper left side is echoed in other early sculptures by Riemenschneider and his workshop; the draperies protrude and recede. The folds of the generous mantle, the long diagonal line of drapery across the figure and the bunching of the drapery along one side is also seen in his alabaster Saint Barbara, circa 1485-90 (Chapuis, op. cit., cat. no.4), his Saint John the Baptist, circa 1490, from Hassfurt (Chapuis, op. cit., fig. 1) and his female Saint from the North Carolina Museum of Art, circa 1490 (Chapuis, op. cit., cat. no.10). In the present sculpture, there is barely a hint of the workshop’s more planar, sharp-edged and calligraphic treatment of drapery so conspicuous in Riemenschneider's later works.
Clearly, this figure of Saint John was carved for an altar upon which the youthful disciple, and a figure of the Virgin slightly inclined to the right, flanked the crucified Christ. John’s pathos is palpable as he quietly raises his right hand, covered by the weighty mantle, to wipe away his tears. A similar gesture is also seen in the wood figure of Saint John from an archway in Heidingsfeld (fig. 1). In the present sculpture, however, the Saint supports his right elbow with his left hand in a common gesture of mourning, often seen in sculpture from antiquity. This position of the arms was also employed in the figure of Mary on the far right of the Lamentation group from Grossostheim, circa 1510. Furthermore, this composition recalls the carving of several figures from one of the groups made for the Passion altarpiece for a church in Rothenburg, circa 1485-90, now in the Bayerisches National Museum, Munich. Originally flanking a Crucifixion, the figures in the Munich group similarly reveal profound sorrow. The mourning woman in the back wipes her eyes with her mantle and the sculptor uses long diagonal folds and smaller curves of drapery to provide a sense of movement and animation.
This Saint John's eyes are downward-sloping, emphasized by his protruding brow bone covered with a fold of skin above the lid. This creates a contrast of light and shadow, further intensifying the sense of overwhelming grief. These details are also evident in the face of Mary from one of the Munich Passion groups (fig. 2). Riemenschneider's workshop added one or more creases under the eyes, depending on the age of the subject. Michael Baxandall discusses the master’s manipulation of eyes in his sculptures to accommodate the changing position of the viewer. The eyes are often assymetrical, as in the present sculpture and the Mary in fig. 2, to achieve the correct appearance when viewed from different angles. The touches of black pigment in St. John's irises and the red in his lips, a typical practice of the workshop, convey a greater sense of realism.
In recent years, research regarding the workshop's use of elaborate ornamentation embellishing the surfaces of some sculptures, has determined that certain figures were not meant to be painted. In the present case, the lack of punched or engraved patterns in the wood and the traces of polychromy in the recesses of the drapery folds (although probably later), indicate that this figure was originally painted. Saint John's clothing is humble, much like that of the Saint John on the far left of the Windscheimer apostle altar group, circa 1509 (fig. 3).
Riemenschneider ran a large workshop where he taught apprentices and employed journeymen fluent in their master's vernacular. The sculptor’s fame was widespread; he was in high demand from local churches, towns and wealthier members of the region and he also received commissions beyond the boundaries of his home. Although it was necessary to rely on his assistants for portions of the work, the carvings were given final approval by the master himself. The majority of sculptures from the workshop were removed from their original settings and therefore remain undocumented. The present figure was apparently purchased from a farmer in Seinsheim in Lower Franconia not far from Würzburg.
Few sculptures by Riemenschneider and his workshop remain in private hands. Stylistic analogies between the present figure of Saint John and other established works by Riemenschneider and his workshop place it firmly within the master’s oeuvre.
Tilman Riemenschneider (1460-1531) was born in Heiligenstadt in Thuringia and may have trained as a stone mason in Erfurt, specializing in alabaster. He settled in Ulm for a time where he may have worked as an apprentice to Michel Erhart. Settling and marrying there in 1483, he became a citizen and a member of the painter's Guild of Saint Luke, achieving the status of 'Meister'. His new wife's wealth provided a large house with sufficient space for workshops and quarters for assistants, apprentices and his family. He subsequently received numerous commissions from various town councils, including one in 1490 from the town council of Münnerstadt for an altarpiece for the high altar of St. Maria Magdalene, the parish church. The elements of that altarpiece are now dispersed. Further major commissions were executed by Riemenschneider's workshop for local patrons as well as for clients in Franconia and Saxony. In 1504, he was elected to the city council and in 1509, he was the first artist to be elected to the Upper Council in Würzburg. The sculptor was elected mayor of the town in 1520-21, by which time he had married for the fourth time. In 1525, when the Peasants' Revolt swept through Germany, Riemenschneider and other council members opposed the demands of the Prince-Bishop Conrad von Thüngen and attempted to assist the peasants in their struggle for freedom from serfdom. The sculptor died in 1531 and was buried in the cemetery next to the Würzburg Cathedral.
RELATED LITERATURE
Justus Bier, Tilmann Riemenschneider. Die Frühen Werke, Würzburg, 1925
Justus Bier, The Sculptures of Tilmann Riemenschneider, The North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, 1962
Justus Bier, Tilmann Riemenschneider. Die späten Werke in Holtz, Vienna, 1978, no. 31
Justus Bier, Tilmann Riemenschneider. His Life and Work, Kentucky, 1982
Julien Chapuis (ed.), Tilman Riemenschneider. Master Sculptor of the Late Middle Ages, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC/ The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Washington and New Haven, 1999, cat. no. 43
Julien Chapuis (ed.), "Tilman Riemenschneider c. 1460-1531," Studies in the History of Art 65, Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, Symposium Papers XLII, The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., New Haven and London, 2004
Tilman Reimenschneider-Werke seiner Blütezeit (exh. cat.), Mainfränkischen Museum Würzburg, March 24 - June 13 2004, no. 1, pp. 341-343, no. 71, p. 342, figs. 106, 296, 297