South German, Upper Swabia, circa 1500

Dorotheum Vienna, 6 April 2006, lot 64

Overall the condition of the wood is good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There is minor worming to the wood throughout; this is particularly visible to the base. There is restoration to the hands, including probably to all fingers. The proper right index finger is lost and there is a stable open joint at the proper left thumb. There is a possible loss to the back of the head. The gilding and polychromy appear to refreshed; there are also a few losses to the paintwork. There is a loss to the drapery below the proper right elbow. As is consistent with the date, the piece is carved in sections and stable joints are visible in a few areas, including to the proper right arm and the headdress drape above it. There is some stable splitting consistent with the material, including to the back of the headdress.
"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 expressive figure with dynamic drapery and animated facial expression typifies the mastery with which Gothic wood carvers from the north executed their craft. It was the command of drapery carving, in particular, that distinguished the best sculptors such as Hans Leinberger creating fabrics that virtually liquefied into waves and Tilman Riemenschneider with his long, tunnel folds interspersed with pockets of crumpled drapery.

In the present figure, probably a Mary from a Lamentation group, the sculptor used horizontal folds in the veil which flutter in the air. The figure’s dress is bunched up around the waist while other folds coil and bend around her arms. Her upheld mantle creates a cascade of lightly creased folds that extend downwards before landing at her feet and in an elaborate coil near her left knee.

Similar drapery schemes can be found in the area around today’s German-Swiss border, known as Upper Swabia. The most influential Gothic workshops in this area were based in Ulm and their stylistic accomplishments were emulated by sculptors in other regions and at times improved upon by creating bolder, more animated forms. Similar fluttering headdresses can be found on the central figure of Mary in the relief with the scenes from her life by the Master HSR, active in Basel (see Petrasch, op.cit., no. 168) and Hans Geiler’s Mary Magdalen in the St Anna chapel in Freiburg illustrated in Gasser et al. (op.cit., no. 122). The latter also employs the crumpled cascading folds in his St Catherine from the same group and is responsible for the coiled flap on a figure of St Andrew, similar to the coil at the knee of the present figure (op.cit. no. 123). However, the lightness and movement seen in the present figure, exceeds these comparisons.

RELATED LITERATURE
K. Gröber, Schwäbische Skulptur der Spätgotik, Munich, 1922; T. Müller, Die Bildwerke in Holz, Ton und Stein von der Mitte des XV. Bis gegen Mitte des XVI. Jahrhunderts, cat. Bayerischen Nationalmuseums, Munich, 1959, p. 72, no. 62; E. Petrasch, Spätgotik am Oberrhein. Meisterwerke der Plastik und des Kunsthandwerks 1450-1530, exhib. cat. Badisches Landesmuseum, Karlsruhe, 1970, p. 209, no. 168, fig. 149; S. Gasser et al., Die Freiburger Skulptur des 16. Jahrhundert, Petersberg, 2011, pp. 246-255, nos. 122-123