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.
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.
Place of Origin
Augsburg, Germany (made)
Date
ca. 1520 (made)
Artist/maker
Erhart, Gregor, born 1465 - died 1540 (attributed to, sculptor)
Materials and Techniques
Solnhofen limestone carved in low relief
Dimensions
Height: 43.3 cm, Width: 31.7 cm, Depth: 4.4 cm
Object history note
Bought from the Soltikoff Collection, £62.
Descriptive line
Panel relief, the Virgin and Child, Solnhofen limestone, attributed to Gregor Erhart, Germany, Augsburg, ca. 1520
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1862 In: Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, Arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol I. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 15
Baxandall, Michael. South German Sculpture, 1480-1530. VAM, London, 1974, p. 74, no. 20.
T. Eser. Hans Daucher. Berlin, 1996, p. 317, fig 97
Barnet, Peter. 'Late Gothic Wood Sculptures from Ulm'. In: Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts, Vol. 64, No. 4, 1989, pp. 29-39
Jopek, Norbert. German Sculpture 1430-1540, A Catalogue of the Collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum. London, 2002, pp. 86-87, cat.no. 37.
Exhibition History
Welt im Umbruch - Augsburg zwischen Renaissance und Barock (A changing world - Augsburg between Renaissance and Baroque) (City Hall and Arsenal, Augsburg 28/06/1980-28/09/1980)
Labels and date
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. [1993]
THE VIRGIN AND CHILD
Honestone
By Hans Daucher (b.ca.1485; d.1538)
German; second quarter of the 16th century
Materials
Limestone
Techniques
Carving; Low relief
Subjects depicted
Virgin and Child
Categories
Sculpture; Religion; Christianity
Collection code
SCP
