Workshop of Tilman Riemenschneider German, Franconia, circa 1500

European noble family, first recorded circa 1870;
Sotheby’s London, 12 December 1996, lots 52 and 53

Weltkunst, no. 22, 15 November 1996

Overall the condition of the busts is good, with wear and minor dirt to the surface consistent with age. The polychromy was refreshed in the 19th or 20th century; some of the original polychromy remains. The polychromy of the female bust has recently been professionally stabilised. There are several losses to the polychromy, notably to the Virgin's nose, her proper left hand, her proper left cheek, and sections of her veil and her book. The polychromy of the man is slightly unstable and there is wear and some flaking, including small losses in the face. There are a few losses to the wood, notably to two locks of hair above the man's forehead, and to the woman's veil above the forehead and around her proper left shoulder. Joints are slightly visible around the tips of the noses of both busts. There is some minor stable splitting to the wood consistent with the material, in particular to the top of the woman's head and to the bottom fold of her drapery. The base sections of both busts are later, and joints are visible, notably on the woman's proper right side. There is evidence of past worming, in particular to the man's hair and his back, a few areas at his front, and to the woman's back. There is a nail to the man's back on his proper left side.
"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 pair of busts relates closely to a group of early works by Tilman Riemenschneider and his workshop. The female saint compares well to a head of Saint Anne in the Hermitage and the Three Mary’s from the otherwise largely lost Wiblinger altarpiece which is now in the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum (exhibited in Würzburg, op.cit., pl. 1). The male figure, in turn, resembles several representations of Saint John the Evangelist by the master, including the Saint John who stands by the aforementioned Mary’s. The similarities with the group from the Wiblinger altarpiece in Munich led the cataloguer of the 1996 sale catalogue to suggest that that the figures were part of the lost altarpiece that was finished in 1513 and placed in the parish church of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. On at least one occasion Riemenschneider included similar busts in the predella of one of his altarpieces, that devoted to Saint Kilian formerly in Würzburg cathedral illustrated by Bier (op.cit., pl. 35C). Since the figures mainly resemble Riemenschneider’s early work and he may have strived to create some homogeneity in the cathedral it is also plausible that it was part of one of the two other altarpieces that he made for that cathedral.

RELATED LITERATURE
J. Bier, Tilman Riemenschneider, Lexington, 1982; Tilman Riemenschneider. Frühe Werke, exh. cat. Mainfränkisches Museum, Würzburg, 1982