Agony in the Garden thumbnail 1
Agony in the Garden thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Medieval & Renaissance, Room 64, The Wolfson Gallery

Agony in the Garden

Relief
ca. 1530-1535 (made)
Artist/Maker
Kayser, Victor (made)
Place of origin
Augsburg (made)

Victor Kayser who became Master in Augsburg seems to have specialised exclusively in small-scale carvings in Solnhofen limestone, giving them a highly polished surface. They either formed elements of altarpieces like this relief or served as individual devotional pieces.


Object details

Category
Reliefs
Object type
Relief
TitleAgony in the Garden (generic title)
Materials and techniques
limestone and carved
Limestone
Carving
Brief description
Relief, Agony in the garden; limestone. Swabian (Augusburg), ca. 1530-1535.
Physical description
Christ, with rays in form of a cross emanating behind his head, kneels against a rocky background, turning to the right. His left arm uis outstretched towards the angel above him, while his right hand is raised. The flying angel holds a chalice surmounted by a cross in his right hand, his left hand expressing a gesture of grief. To Christ's left side is seated St John, resting his head on his hand, while St Peter lies across the foreground with the sword before him. In the foreground on the right St James is seen crouched in profile. Visible in the distance are the walls and towers of Jerusalem; Judas is shown in dialogue with two soldiers, pointing with his right arm towards Christ; other soldiers pass through a gateway, and another figure is shown climbing over the fence next to it
Dimensions
  • Height: 28.7cm
  • Width: 37.2cm
  • Depth: 2cm
Measured for the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries
Style
Renaissance
Credit line
Murray Bequest
Object history
Formerly in the collection of Sir Francis Cook, Doughty House, Richmond. Bought in London from F.A.Drey together with A.41-1947 for £750.

Historical significance: Kayser seems to have specialised exclusively in small-scale carvings in Solnhofen limestone, giving them a highly polished surface, unlike marble.
Historical context
This relief formed part of an altarpiece or served as an individual devotional piece.
Subjects depicted
Jesus Christ
St. Peter
St John
Saint James the Greater
Judas (Iscariot)
Literary referenceAgony in the Garden
Summary
Victor Kayser who became Master in Augsburg seems to have specialised exclusively in small-scale carvings in Solnhofen limestone, giving them a highly polished surface. They either formed elements of altarpieces like this relief or served as individual devotional pieces.
Bibliographic references
  • Norbert Jopek, German Sculpture 1430-1540. A catalogue of the collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2002, cat. no. 40. pp. 92-93.
  • Müller, T. Zu victor kayser: Nachrut für ein verschollenes Werk. In: Anzeiger des Germanischen Nationalmuseums. Nürnberg, 1976. G. D. 53. p. 78.
  • Hubel, A. Der Regensburger. München, 1976. p. 77.
  • Pfeiffer, W. Der entwerf zu einem Augsburger Renaissancerelief. In: Anzeiger des Germanischen Nationalmuseums. 1965. pp. 120-126. note. 16.
  • Kris, E. Notizen zu Adolf Daucher. In: von Bucher E., Feuchtmayr, K. eds. Augusburger Kunst der Spätgotik und Renaissance. Augusburg, 1928. pp. 431-4. illus. 316.
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
A.42-1947

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Record createdFebruary 11, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O187359/agony-in-the-garden-relief-kayser-victor/
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