- 29
Attributed to the Master of the Kefermarkt Altar and workshop (active circa 1470-1510) Southern German, Passau, or Upper Austrian, circa 1500-1510
Estimate
100,000 - 150,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Saint Florian
- limewood, on a later wood base
- Attributed to the Master of the Kefermarkt Altar and workshop (active circa 1470-1510) Southern German, Passau, or Upper Austrian, circa 1500-1510
Condition
Overall the condition of the wood is good, with some wear and dirt to the surface consistent with age. Life-size medieval wood sculpture in this state of preservation is rarely seen on the market. It is likely that the sculpture was once polychromed and that the polychromy has been removed. There are a number of minor stable splits to the face, which appear to have been minimised by polishing during restoration. They may originally have been caused by worming under the polychromy. Much of the facial surface appears to have been carefully repolished, lending to it a smooth appearance. There are particular splits remaining around the ocular orbits. There is some further stable splitting to the wood consistent with the material, including: to the top of the head; to the proper left arm and couter; and notably two open but stable splits running down the figure's back on the proper left side. There are also a few splits which have been filled during earlier restoration, notably one to the breastplate on the proper right side, some around the top of the tasset and one to the proper left foot. Some sections have been carved separately and joints are slightly visible, including: at both upper arms; both poleyns, whose wings have been reattached; two sections of the tasset on the proper left side; the back edge of the proper right couter; and at the proper left foot. Several fingers of both hands have been reattached, and some glue residue is visible around the joints. There is some evidence of past worming in several areas, notably: to the terrasse and the feet, where it has led to some minor losses; to the proper left lower leg; to the insides of the thighs; to the proper right hand and arm; and to the tasset at the back, where there are some losses at the bottom edge. There are a few further minor losses, some due to worming, including to the edges of the haute-pieces and couters at the back. It is likely that several pins on the armour are later replacements. There is a large wood plug to the proper right couter. It is possible that the surface in the crevice at the abdomen is partially restored. The figure is slightly unstable on the base.
The lance, and probably also the bucket, which is loose, are of a later date. The lance's arrow is detachable. There is some general wear to the lance, including a few chips and abrasions. The water of the bucket has been reattached and some glue residue is visible around the joint.
The later wood base is in good condition with some general wear, including slightly open but stable joints, minor evidence of past worming, and some nicks and abrasions along the edges.
"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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
Writing in 1963, Walter Paatz (op. cit.) hailed the Altarpiece in the Church of St Wolfgang in Kefermarkt, Upper Austria as 'the most magnificent Bavarian contribution to a series of masterpieces of late Gothic retable art in southern Germany'. Following his restoration campaign of the Altar in the 1850s, Adalbert Stifter drew such inspiration from the work that he dedicated a lengthy description to it in his Bildungsroman, Der Nachsommer. The present statue of Saint Florian may be counted among the few sculptures independent of the Kefermarkt Altar that can be attributed to this masterwork's elusive author and his assistants. It is a magnificent example of a life-size limewood Saint in full armour, whose appearance on the art market is a rare event.
The Church in Kefermarkt was built in the 1470s under the orders of Christoph von Zelking, a captain and counsellor to the Holy Roman Emperor, Friedrich III. In 1476 the Bishop of Passau consecrated the new church in his diocese to St Wolfgang, and it soon became a site of pilgrimage. Documentary evidence suggests that the Altarpiece was ordered sometime before 1490 but not completed until around 1497, when a final payment was made. Frustratingly, the identity of its master is unrecorded, which has inspired a variety of attributions. While the exceptional quality of the Altar has in the past brought it into association with such illustrious names as Tilman Riemenschneider, Veit Stoss, and even Albrecht Dürer, the prevalent view in today's scholarship is that the Master may likely be identified with Martin Kriechbaum. Active between circa 1470 and 1510, Kriechbaum belonged to a family that seems to have run the foremost workshop in southern Bavarian Passau, which cultivated firm links to Upper Austria. Yet in the absence of secured works by Martin Kriechbaum, whose documented commissions are sadly lost or destroyed, the Master of the Kefermarkt Altar will remain an enigmatic visionary.
Stripped of its polychromy during restoration works in the mid-19th century, the Kefermarkt Altar is celebrated for its wealth of virtuoso carving in monochrome wood. In its current arrangement, the three monumental central figures of saints are flanked by richly decorated wings and surmounted by an ornate superstructure. In front of the church walls on each side of the altarpiece are two life-size figures of Saint George and Saint Florian, the so-called Schreinwächter (Guarders of the Altar). Their iconography is borrowed from Michael Pacher’s representations of the same subjects in the church of St Wolfgang in Salzkammergut (Kahsnitz, op. cit., pl. 39), whose altar was completed in 1479. Stylistically the figures of the Kefermarkt Altar seem indebted to several southern German schools and masters, and the heterogeneous nature of the carvings has frequently been remarked upon. Some have argued that more than one master executed the works, while others are dismissive of this idea, highlighting the inevitability of different hands within a single master’s workshop (see Schädler, op. cit., p. 11). What is evident is that the Altar’s most admired figure, that of Saint Christopher, exhibits a level of realism and psychological sensibility which is shared by only a few of the other figures, notably the Saint Florian. The Christopher’s lifelike, tormented physiognomy has been celebrated as an exemplar of late Gothic sculpture and contributed to the Altar’s fame.
It is to these figures that the present Saint Florian most clearly relates. The statue is characterised by a similar tilted positioning of the head with a slight downward gaze and a hint of a frown. Like that of the Kefermarkt Florian, the present figure’s mouth forms a full-lipped pout, lending it a tense, melancholic expression. While his large curls of hair are reminiscent of the savage locks that frame the head of Saint Christopher, the Florian’s pose appears to be derived from that of his namesake in Kefermarkt. However the present Saint is represented in a more affirmed contrapposto, with a more dynamic arrangement of the arms. The general appearance of his armour, too, compares to the Kefermarkt Schreinwächter, with intricate chainmail details, though its appearance is on the whole more linear and subdued, and perhaps less fantastical. Note the absence of the large besagues sported by the Kefermarkt Saint, and the lack of headdress in the present figure.
Another compelling comparison for the Saint Florian’s physiognomy is found in an under-life-size Deacon Saint at the Musée du Louvre (inv. no. R.F. 2810, see Guillot de Suduiraut, no. 42), which is generally accepted to be an isolated work by the Master of the Kefermarkt Altar. Note the exaggerated shock of hair, small eyes, and broad jawline exhibited by both figures. In its form and stylistic features the Paris Deacon compares closely to the Saints Stephen and Lawrence of the same size in the Kefermarkt Altar. The suggestion that the Louvre figure therefore represents a survival from a now-lost altarpiece by the Kefermarkt Master, which largely mirrored the form of that in Kefermarkt, is relevant to our Saint Florian: His formal dependence from the Kefermarkt Florian and their correspondence in height present the likelihood that the present figure functioned as a Schreinwächter in a very similar altarpiece by the same workshop, which was later disassembled or for the most part destroyed. That this hypothetical altarpiece postdates the one in Kefermarkt is suggested partly by the shoes of the present figure, which are broadly rounded at the toes rather than pointed, indicating a date around or after 1500. The armour, though similar to that of another Saint Florian of circa 1490 (Legner, op. cit., no. 243), may be dated to circa 1510 and in the ray-like grooves on the breastplate compares to that of later Schreinwächter (see Legner, op. cit., no. 329). If indeed the Master of the Kefermarkt Altar is identical with Martin Kriechbaum, the Florian would thus date to the final years of his activity. Perhaps by this time the master had adapted his style, or given some of the important figures to his most talented assistants, who would have been able to achieve the superb level of carving shown in the present statue. The Saint Florian’s expressiveness and abundant curly hair arguably anticipates later Altars by the so-called Danube School, such as that in Zwettl in Lower Austria, whose sculptors may have been influenced by the Kefermarkt Altar's style (see Kahsnitz, op. cit., pp. 364-385).
Saint Florian is the patron saint of Linz in Upper Austria and has traditionally been venerated by firefighters and chimneysweeps. Born in the mid-third century AD in the Roman-occupied Austrian city of Aelium Cetium, Florian became a commander of the Imperial army, where he recruited a brigade of firefighters. When Florian was suspected of laxity in enforcing the proscriptions against Christians, he was ordered to sacrifice to the Roman gods but refused, leading to his execution. About to be burned at the stake, Florian claimed he would be raised to heaven on the flames, prompting the Romans to drown the martyr in the river Enns. Saint Florian’s appearance as a Schreinwächter in Austrian retables may have partly been intended to protect these wooden masterpieces from devastating fires. The documented history of Martin Kriechbaum, the proposed Master of the Kefermarkt Altar, poignantly demonstrates the harsh reality of this: Two of his elaborate altarpieces burned to extinction shortly after their execution – one in 1598, and another as early as 1512 (see Paatz, op. cit., p. 56).
RELATED LITERATURE
W. Paatz, Süddeutsche Schnitzaltäre der Spätgotik: Die Meisterwerke während ihrer Entfaltung zur Hochblüte, 1465-1500, Heidelberg, 1963, pp. 56-61; A. Legner (ed.), Spätgotik in Salzburg: Skulptur und Kunstgewerbe, 1400-1530, exh. cat. Salzburger Museum Carolino Augusteum, Salzburg, 1976; M. Baxandall, The Limewood Sculptors of Renaissance Germany, New Haven and London, 1980, p. 276; S. Guillot de Suduiraut, Sculptures allemandes de la fin du Moyen Age dans les collections publiques françaises, 1400-1530, exh. cat. Musée du Louvre, Paris, 1991, pp. 170-172; A. Schädler, 'Der Kefermarkter Altar und sein Meister – ein Überblick', Studien zur Kulturgeschichte von Oberösterreich, vol. 1, 1993, pp. 7-15; R. Kahsnitz, Die grossen Schnitzaltäre: Spätgotik in Süddeutschland, Österreich, Südtirol, Munich, 2005, pp. 164-179; pp. 364-385
The Church in Kefermarkt was built in the 1470s under the orders of Christoph von Zelking, a captain and counsellor to the Holy Roman Emperor, Friedrich III. In 1476 the Bishop of Passau consecrated the new church in his diocese to St Wolfgang, and it soon became a site of pilgrimage. Documentary evidence suggests that the Altarpiece was ordered sometime before 1490 but not completed until around 1497, when a final payment was made. Frustratingly, the identity of its master is unrecorded, which has inspired a variety of attributions. While the exceptional quality of the Altar has in the past brought it into association with such illustrious names as Tilman Riemenschneider, Veit Stoss, and even Albrecht Dürer, the prevalent view in today's scholarship is that the Master may likely be identified with Martin Kriechbaum. Active between circa 1470 and 1510, Kriechbaum belonged to a family that seems to have run the foremost workshop in southern Bavarian Passau, which cultivated firm links to Upper Austria. Yet in the absence of secured works by Martin Kriechbaum, whose documented commissions are sadly lost or destroyed, the Master of the Kefermarkt Altar will remain an enigmatic visionary.
Stripped of its polychromy during restoration works in the mid-19th century, the Kefermarkt Altar is celebrated for its wealth of virtuoso carving in monochrome wood. In its current arrangement, the three monumental central figures of saints are flanked by richly decorated wings and surmounted by an ornate superstructure. In front of the church walls on each side of the altarpiece are two life-size figures of Saint George and Saint Florian, the so-called Schreinwächter (Guarders of the Altar). Their iconography is borrowed from Michael Pacher’s representations of the same subjects in the church of St Wolfgang in Salzkammergut (Kahsnitz, op. cit., pl. 39), whose altar was completed in 1479. Stylistically the figures of the Kefermarkt Altar seem indebted to several southern German schools and masters, and the heterogeneous nature of the carvings has frequently been remarked upon. Some have argued that more than one master executed the works, while others are dismissive of this idea, highlighting the inevitability of different hands within a single master’s workshop (see Schädler, op. cit., p. 11). What is evident is that the Altar’s most admired figure, that of Saint Christopher, exhibits a level of realism and psychological sensibility which is shared by only a few of the other figures, notably the Saint Florian. The Christopher’s lifelike, tormented physiognomy has been celebrated as an exemplar of late Gothic sculpture and contributed to the Altar’s fame.
It is to these figures that the present Saint Florian most clearly relates. The statue is characterised by a similar tilted positioning of the head with a slight downward gaze and a hint of a frown. Like that of the Kefermarkt Florian, the present figure’s mouth forms a full-lipped pout, lending it a tense, melancholic expression. While his large curls of hair are reminiscent of the savage locks that frame the head of Saint Christopher, the Florian’s pose appears to be derived from that of his namesake in Kefermarkt. However the present Saint is represented in a more affirmed contrapposto, with a more dynamic arrangement of the arms. The general appearance of his armour, too, compares to the Kefermarkt Schreinwächter, with intricate chainmail details, though its appearance is on the whole more linear and subdued, and perhaps less fantastical. Note the absence of the large besagues sported by the Kefermarkt Saint, and the lack of headdress in the present figure.
Another compelling comparison for the Saint Florian’s physiognomy is found in an under-life-size Deacon Saint at the Musée du Louvre (inv. no. R.F. 2810, see Guillot de Suduiraut, no. 42), which is generally accepted to be an isolated work by the Master of the Kefermarkt Altar. Note the exaggerated shock of hair, small eyes, and broad jawline exhibited by both figures. In its form and stylistic features the Paris Deacon compares closely to the Saints Stephen and Lawrence of the same size in the Kefermarkt Altar. The suggestion that the Louvre figure therefore represents a survival from a now-lost altarpiece by the Kefermarkt Master, which largely mirrored the form of that in Kefermarkt, is relevant to our Saint Florian: His formal dependence from the Kefermarkt Florian and their correspondence in height present the likelihood that the present figure functioned as a Schreinwächter in a very similar altarpiece by the same workshop, which was later disassembled or for the most part destroyed. That this hypothetical altarpiece postdates the one in Kefermarkt is suggested partly by the shoes of the present figure, which are broadly rounded at the toes rather than pointed, indicating a date around or after 1500. The armour, though similar to that of another Saint Florian of circa 1490 (Legner, op. cit., no. 243), may be dated to circa 1510 and in the ray-like grooves on the breastplate compares to that of later Schreinwächter (see Legner, op. cit., no. 329). If indeed the Master of the Kefermarkt Altar is identical with Martin Kriechbaum, the Florian would thus date to the final years of his activity. Perhaps by this time the master had adapted his style, or given some of the important figures to his most talented assistants, who would have been able to achieve the superb level of carving shown in the present statue. The Saint Florian’s expressiveness and abundant curly hair arguably anticipates later Altars by the so-called Danube School, such as that in Zwettl in Lower Austria, whose sculptors may have been influenced by the Kefermarkt Altar's style (see Kahsnitz, op. cit., pp. 364-385).
Saint Florian is the patron saint of Linz in Upper Austria and has traditionally been venerated by firefighters and chimneysweeps. Born in the mid-third century AD in the Roman-occupied Austrian city of Aelium Cetium, Florian became a commander of the Imperial army, where he recruited a brigade of firefighters. When Florian was suspected of laxity in enforcing the proscriptions against Christians, he was ordered to sacrifice to the Roman gods but refused, leading to his execution. About to be burned at the stake, Florian claimed he would be raised to heaven on the flames, prompting the Romans to drown the martyr in the river Enns. Saint Florian’s appearance as a Schreinwächter in Austrian retables may have partly been intended to protect these wooden masterpieces from devastating fires. The documented history of Martin Kriechbaum, the proposed Master of the Kefermarkt Altar, poignantly demonstrates the harsh reality of this: Two of his elaborate altarpieces burned to extinction shortly after their execution – one in 1598, and another as early as 1512 (see Paatz, op. cit., p. 56).
RELATED LITERATURE
W. Paatz, Süddeutsche Schnitzaltäre der Spätgotik: Die Meisterwerke während ihrer Entfaltung zur Hochblüte, 1465-1500, Heidelberg, 1963, pp. 56-61; A. Legner (ed.), Spätgotik in Salzburg: Skulptur und Kunstgewerbe, 1400-1530, exh. cat. Salzburger Museum Carolino Augusteum, Salzburg, 1976; M. Baxandall, The Limewood Sculptors of Renaissance Germany, New Haven and London, 1980, p. 276; S. Guillot de Suduiraut, Sculptures allemandes de la fin du Moyen Age dans les collections publiques françaises, 1400-1530, exh. cat. Musée du Louvre, Paris, 1991, pp. 170-172; A. Schädler, 'Der Kefermarkter Altar und sein Meister – ein Überblick', Studien zur Kulturgeschichte von Oberösterreich, vol. 1, 1993, pp. 7-15; R. Kahsnitz, Die grossen Schnitzaltäre: Spätgotik in Süddeutschland, Österreich, Südtirol, Munich, 2005, pp. 164-179; pp. 364-385
The present lot is offered with a Radiocarbon dating measurement report (ref. no. RCD-8603) prepared by J. Walker of RCD Lockinge, which states that the wood dates between 1286-1400 (95% confidence interval).