Circle of Hans Multscher (circa 1400-1467) German, Swabia, third quarter 15th century

Marie François Sadi Carnot, Château de la Rochepot, Côte d’Or, France

Overall, the condition of the wood is good, with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. The sculpture is carved in sections, and joints and original wood plugs are slightly visible. The face, in particular, is separately carved, and stable original joints are visible at the forehead, the sides of the face, and the upper neck. The hair at the side of the face is carved separately. There is also a stable split under the nose. These joints and splits have been deftly concealed with wax. Sections of the drapery are carved separately throughout. The reverse is carved in sections, and there are prominent original wood inserts. There is stable splitting to the wood, consistent with the material, including splits to the back of the head, and some minor splits in the drapery, in particular on the proper right side, and to the proper left side of the head and the headdress. There is non-active worming to the sculpture throughout, and particularly at the chest. There is a restored section of drapery at the centre just below the abdomen. The proper left little finger is lost. There are a few small chips and losses, including to the edges of the drapery, and one to the front edge of the headdress. There are traces of polychromy to the base.
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This remarkable figure of Mary Magdalene shows clearly the influence of Hans Multscher, 'the first artist in Southern Germany whose name can be associated with a relatively large number of surviving works' (op. cit. 1997, p. 11). Multscher is arguably the most prominent sculptor to have worked in the Swabian city of Ulm, where he established a significant career beginning in 1427, and ending with his death in 1467. Multscher and his workshop produced works not only for the city, among them the 'Karg-Nische' at Ulm Minster, but for wealthy and aristocratic private patrons. His style proved hugely influential throughout Upper Swabia in the mid-15th century, introducing 'modern' modes of representation in the region's religious sculpture.

Many of the present figure's characteristic features seem to have their origin in secured works by Multscher. The drapery style, with generous, gently cascading folds, is consistent with the sculptor's later works, notably the Virgin from Bihlafingen (op. cit. 1997, no. 54). Similar drapery schemes appear in works by Multscher's followers; compare, in particular, a Virgin and Child and a Mary Magdalene in the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum (inv. nos. MA 1367 and MA 1669). The broad face, with a slightly retroussé nose, almond shaped eyes and pointed lips, is seen in Multscher's Angels from the Sterzinger Altar (now Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, inv. no. MA 1250), though to a lesser extent in the sculptor's female figures. An analogous facial type, however, is exhibited by a Virgin and Child from the Wolter Collection that was associated with Multscher, illustrated in Gröber, op. cit., fig. 48. 

RELATED LITERATURE
K. Gröber, 'Das plastische Werk Hans Multschers' in E. Buchner and K. Feuchtmayr,
Oberdeutsche Kunst der Spätgotik und der Reformationszeit, Augsburg, 1924, pp. 68-87; T. Müller, Die Bildwerke in Holz, Ton und Stein von der Mitte des XV. bis gegen Mitte des XVI. Jahrhunderts, cat. Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich, 1959, nos. 81 and 82; Hans Multscher: Bildhauer der Spätgotik in Ulm, exh. cat. Ulmer Museum, Ulm, 1997, pp. 378-379, 404-405