South German, late 16th century

Sotheby's London, 12 April 1990, lot 181;
Christie's New York, 30 March 2000, lot 54;
Daniel Katz Ltd., London, July 2002

The present gold repousse relief is beautifully detailed and chased, particularly in her headdress and the embellishments on her clothing. It is reminiscent of a silver-gilt relief  applique of the Madonna and Child, similar size to the present relief, from Erzabtei St. Peter in Salzburg, catalogued as Augsburg master, and dated 1589 (see Dürers Verwandlung in der Skultur zwischen Renaissance und Barock, exhibition, 1 November 1981 to 17 January 1982, exhibition catalogue, Liebieghaus, Frankfurt am Main, no. 17, pp. 56 and 57. Although the Salzburg relief was probably made to adorn a book cover, the present piece has a deep, three-dimensional base which would protrude too far off of a flat surface to be used for that purpose.