Follower of Hans Multscher (Reichenhofen circa 1400 - 1467 Ulm), German, Possibly Ulm, circa 1470

Gustav Rau, Germany;

Lempertz Cologne, 15-17 November 1972, lot 1470

Sotheby's London, 2 July 2013, lot 23.

Accompanied by a letter of expertise from Dr. Albrecht Miller, dated 17 March 2014.

The present sculpture was most likely inspired by the work of the master German painter and sculptor, Hans Multscher.

The treatment of the drapery recalls that of Multscher, with its voluminous folds that are gathered on one side and gently cascade to her feet. The full face of the figure paired with her relatively small features also draws parallels to Multscher's treatment of his figures. For a very comparable sculpture by Multscher see Manfred Tripps.¹

Multscher was a journeyman who settled in Ulm, Swabia and founded a large workshop there. His position as the sculptor most responsible for the change from the formal Schöne Stile of the International Gothic style, exemplified by the doll-like faces of figures and exaggerated s-curved forms, to the human interpretation of forms and a greater realism helped to make Ulm the center for the production of fine wood sculpture in Germany.

¹M. Tripps, Hans Multscher, Seine Ulmer Schaffenszeit 1427-1467, Germany 1969, fig. 37.

RELATED LITERATURE

Hans Multscher: Bildhauer der Spätgotik in Ulm, exhibition catalogue, Ulmer Museum, Ulm, 1987.