Probably South German, circa 1500 | Probablement Allemagne du Sud, vers 1500

Rolf Müller-Landau (1903-1956);

thence by descent.

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Collection du peintre Rolf Müller-Landau (1903-1956) ;

Puis par descendance jusqu’à nos jours.

The subject of the Coronation of the Virgin originates from France and knew great success from circa 12th century onwards and is often found in South German carved altarpieces from the middle to late Gothic period. The design of this charming group is symmetric with God the father and Christ seated on either side of the Virgin. A comparable South-German group dating to circa 1480 in the Vleeshuis Museum in Antwerp (op. cit., R. Didier, H. Krohm) demonstrates a similar composition, although the Virgin is depicted frontal opposed to sideways, as in the present group. This compositional feature compares more closely to the central panel of the St. Wolfgang altarpiece by Michel Pacher (1435-1498), with the Virgin kneeling between the crowned God the father and Christ, facing towards God and with two angels similarly depicted below supporting the Virgin’s cloak.

The relatively shallow depth and compacted composition indicate that this group was originally placed in a carved altarpiece. It is likely that the sculpture was used for the central panel, as this is the case for a number of Coronation scenes in South German altarpieces, including in the above mentioned retable of Michel Pacher, as well as in the Lichtensterner altarpiece, which is now in the Landesmuseum Württemberg.

RELATED LITERATURE

R. Didier, H. Krohm, Les Sculptures médiévales allemandes dans les collections belges, Brussels, 1977, no. 23;

E. Ullmann, Geschichte der deutschen Kunst 1470-1550, Leipzig, 1984, nos. 129, 130