Upper Rhenish, circa 1300

private collection, Limburg, Belgium

Overall the condition of the Corpus is good, with wear and some dirt to the surface consistent with age. The arms are carved separately and slide into the shoulders and are stabilised with wood dowels. The proper left hand is largely lost due to past worming; a section of the fingers is loose. There is further evidence of past worming, notably to the head on the proper left side, and to both arms. There are remnants of polychromy and a gesso layer in several areas, including the hair, perizonium, and the legs. There is some stable splitting to the wood, consistent with the material, including to the forehead, to the chest and abdomen, and to the proper right lower leg, where there is probably a naturally occurring knot in the wood. There appears to be an original wood patching to the proper left lower leg on the inside. There is further splitting to the back. Two rectangular sections at the back are carved separately. There is a metal mount to the back.
"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."

This moving figure of Christ Crucified compares with corpora from the Rhineland and North East France dating to the last decades of the 13th century. The present corpus has a very particular deep perizonium falling short of the proper right knee, covering the left, tied at the proper left hip, and with cascading folds falling over the left thigh. A very similar perizonium is seen in a corpus, believed to be North French, third quarter of the 13th century, in the Schnütgen Museum, Cologne (inv. no. A 999); this corpus is similarly relatively linear in composition, with little sway at the hips. Analagous heavy, stylised, perizoniums are seen in a series of bronze Cristi morti dating to the last quarter of the 13th century, published by Arnold (op. cit., no. 1). Compare, in particular, the same drooping head, with calm facial expression, thick crown of thorns and hair swept behind the shoulders, with the gilt bronze crucifix believed to have been made in Strasbourg, in a private Swiss collection (Arnold, op. cit., fig. 1). A wood corpus, which compares closely to those discussed by Arnold, but catalogued as Rhineland, circa 1320-1340, is in the Schnütgen Museum (inv. no. A 932). The large, domed, head and pointed beard find a comparison in a figure of Moses from the West Portal of the Freiburger Münster, dating to circa 1290 (Arnold, op. cit., fig. 31).

RELATED LITERATURE
U. Bergmann, Schnütgen Museum. Die Holzskulpturen des Mittelalters (1000-1400), Cologne, 1989, pp. 186-189, 261-262, nos. 29-31, 60; A. Arnold, 'Ein gotischer Bronzekruzifixus aus dem Umkreis des Straßburger Prophetenmeisters', Zeitschrift des Deutschen Vereins für Kunstwissenschaft 63, 2009, pp. 103-121