Attributed to Hans Leinberger (Altbayern 1480 – after 1531) and Workshop South German, circa 1520

R. Feuchtmüller, Die Sammlung S,  Vienna, 1962, p. 100, no. 27 (illus.)

Standard surface abrasion. Small losses, very minor restoration, and age cracks throughout that are consistent with age of piece. Areas of chipping to polychromy. Refreshed polychromy with earlier layers evident. Some small losses around edge of base. Some loss on edges of drapery and cuffs of sleeves. Several fingers reattached. Crown probably later and with losses to points. Child associated from another South German group. Child's wrists have been repaired along with several fingers. Eight of His toes are lacking. Monumental and Beautifully carved.
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.
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The present group is attributed to one of the foremost late Gothic sculptors of Lower Bavaria, Hans Leinberger. However, there is little known about his birthplace and artistic origins and few documents exist concerning his life in Landshut, Lower Bavaria where he settled around 1510. He was known to have worked for both the court of Ludwig X and the city. His sculpture is widely recognized  for its masterful handling of the material and his imaginative  presentation of drapery which appears to have a life of its own. The present group of the Madonna and Child is carved with Leinberger's distinctive, bold swirls of drapery which create plays of light and dark and imbue his work with a sense of drama.

Leinberger's best known work was the high altar in St. Kastulus Monastery in Moosburg on the river Isar, the largest preserved altar in Altbayern. Several of his works are now  in the Bayerischesnational Museum in Munich.

RELATED LITERATURE
T. Müller, Die Bildwerke in Holz, Ton und Stein von der Mitte des XV. bis gegen Mitte des XVI. Jahrhunderts, exh. cat. Bayerisches Nationalmuseum, Munich, 1959
M. Baxandall, The Limewood Sculptors of Renaissance Germany, New Haven and London, 1980