The Virgin and Child
Relief
ca. 1520 (made)
ca. 1520 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This relief, probably made by Gregor Erhart, depicts the standing Virgin and Child on a crescent moon in a vaulted hall. Four supporting pilasters, richly decorated with raised foliage frame a centralized Italianate hall beneath a semicircular vault.
In the early 16th century in Augsburg and Nuremberg a taste for Italianate styles was becoming common. The foundry of the Vischers in Nuremberg completed the tomb of St Sebaldus in 1519 with figures from classical mythology in the new style, called "Newe Fatzon". Because of the size of the Fugger chapel in Augsburg, completed in 1518 (the first building in Renaissance style in Germany) several sculptors, including Sebastian Loscher and Hans Daucher, were required to complete the commission. The common material in Augsburg for reliefs and sculpture in the round was the soft Solnhofen stone, similar in colour to marble. This relief is attributed to Gregor Erhart, trained in the wood carving tradition in his home city of Ulm, who moved to Augsburg in 1494. Erhart's choice of a classical architectural setting is derived from an engraving of 1508 by Hans Burgkmair, who probably visited Italy the year before. The Virgin however is still carved in the late gothic manner.
The present relief, probably a single object, was made for private devotion or formed part of a small altarpiece.
In the early 16th century in Augsburg and Nuremberg a taste for Italianate styles was becoming common. The foundry of the Vischers in Nuremberg completed the tomb of St Sebaldus in 1519 with figures from classical mythology in the new style, called "Newe Fatzon". Because of the size of the Fugger chapel in Augsburg, completed in 1518 (the first building in Renaissance style in Germany) several sculptors, including Sebastian Loscher and Hans Daucher, were required to complete the commission. The common material in Augsburg for reliefs and sculpture in the round was the soft Solnhofen stone, similar in colour to marble. This relief is attributed to Gregor Erhart, trained in the wood carving tradition in his home city of Ulm, who moved to Augsburg in 1494. Erhart's choice of a classical architectural setting is derived from an engraving of 1508 by Hans Burgkmair, who probably visited Italy the year before. The Virgin however is still carved in the late gothic manner.
The present relief, probably a single object, was made for private devotion or formed part of a small altarpiece.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Parts | This object consists of 3 parts. (Some alternative part names are also shown below)
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Title | The Virgin and Child (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Solnhofen limestone carved in low relief |
Brief description | Panel relief, the Virgin and Child, Solnhofen limestone, attributed to Gregor Erhart, Germany, Augsburg, ca. 1520 |
Physical description | Relief depicts the standing Virgin and child on a crescent moon in a vaulted hall. Four supporting pilasters, richly decorated with raised foliage frame a centralized Italianate hall beneath a semicircular vault. The crowned Virgin wears a fur-lined gown beneath a mantle, and holds the naked Christ Child in her arms. She gently inclines her head towards the child, while his right arm is around her neck. |
Dimensions |
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Gallery label |
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Object history | Bought from the Soltikoff Collection, £62. |
Subject depicted | |
Summary | This relief, probably made by Gregor Erhart, depicts the standing Virgin and Child on a crescent moon in a vaulted hall. Four supporting pilasters, richly decorated with raised foliage frame a centralized Italianate hall beneath a semicircular vault. In the early 16th century in Augsburg and Nuremberg a taste for Italianate styles was becoming common. The foundry of the Vischers in Nuremberg completed the tomb of St Sebaldus in 1519 with figures from classical mythology in the new style, called "Newe Fatzon". Because of the size of the Fugger chapel in Augsburg, completed in 1518 (the first building in Renaissance style in Germany) several sculptors, including Sebastian Loscher and Hans Daucher, were required to complete the commission. The common material in Augsburg for reliefs and sculpture in the round was the soft Solnhofen stone, similar in colour to marble. This relief is attributed to Gregor Erhart, trained in the wood carving tradition in his home city of Ulm, who moved to Augsburg in 1494. Erhart's choice of a classical architectural setting is derived from an engraving of 1508 by Hans Burgkmair, who probably visited Italy the year before. The Virgin however is still carved in the late gothic manner. The present relief, probably a single object, was made for private devotion or formed part of a small altarpiece. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | 7957-1862 |
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Record created | October 16, 2008 |
Record URL |
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