Southern German, circa 1490-1500

Overall the condition of the wood is good, with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. The relief is carved in sections, and three slightly open but stable vertical joints are visible. The relief has been remounted on a later wood board. There is some evidence of past worming, notably to the bottom of the relief at the centre, where there is an area of loss. There is wear to the polychromy and gilding, including flaking and some losses, notably to the beheaded saint's proper left shoulder, above his body, to the high points of the drapery of the central figure, and to the proper right side of the executioner. There is further rubbing to the polychromy and gilding, notably at the high points including the noses and the beards. Some of the fingers may have been reattached, and it is possible that the blade of the executioner's sword is a replacement. There is also minor evidence of past worming to the backboard, notably at the back, and there is wear to its gilding. The modern painted wood frame is in good condition with minor wear, notably a slightly open but stable joint at the top right corner.
"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 gruesome relief shows the beheading of a saint, possibly the 8th-century Irish missionary St Kilian, who travelled to Würzburg with two companions, Colmán and Totnan, converting Duke Gozbert to Christianity. When the Duke married his brother's widow, Geilana, St Kilian scolded him and was beheaded, along with his two associates, by Geilana's soldiers. In the relief, the presence of the two companions, who are clearly associated with the saint, since they wear the same colours, and the fashionably dressed retainer, indicate that the subject is St Kilian. The representation also compares with a panel painting with the Martyrdom of St Kilian in the Mainfränkisches Museum Würzburg, circa 1475.

St Kilian is the Apostle of Franconia and the present relief bears some similarities with Franconian wood sculpture from the circle of Veit Stoss (1448-1533). The balletic pose of the executioner and the facial features recall figures from Stoss' Volckammer Monument in Nuremberg (1499; see Baxandall, op. cit., pl. 38). The attendant figures also bear resemblance with wider South German wood sculpture, see the Apostle St. James, Upper Rhine, circa 1500 in the Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe (inv. no. C 6467).

RELATED LITERATURE
M. Baxandall, The Limewood Sculptors of Renaissance Germany, New Haven and Yale, 1980, pl. 38; Die mittelalterlichen Bildwerke in Holz, Stein, Ton und Bronze mit ausgewählten Beispielen der Bauskulptur, cat. Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe, 1985, pp. 203-206, no. 121