St John Nepomuk thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Grand Entrance, Stair P

St John Nepomuk

Statue
ca. 1725 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This statuette representing St. John Nepomuk is made by Franz Mathias Hiernle in ca. 1725, in Mainz.
St John Nepomuk was a foruteenth-century Jesuit saint martyred in Bohemia. Although he was not officially canonised until 1729, there are many representations of him in seventeenth and ealry eighteenth century German and Bohemian art. The figure shown here would originally have held a cross.

Hiernle (1677-1732) was employed as Court Sculptor by the Elector of Mainz, for whom he made a number of garden statues. He also executed sculpture for the Cathedral of Mainz.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleSt John Nepomuk (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Limewood
Brief description
Statue, St John Nepomuk, by Franz Mathias Hiernle, Germany (Mainz), ca. 1725
Physical description
On a small pedestal St. John Nepomuk stands with hands clasped round a crucifix, his head turned to the right and looking upwards, his left knee slightly bent. He is dressed in biretta, a fur cape tied with a tasselled cord, a lace-edged surplice (or cottar), and a cassock. He is moustached and bearded, and the hair is long, reaching the collar.
Dimensions
  • Height: 179cm
Object history
Bought from Herr Julius Böhler, Kunsthandlung, München, Germany for £1480 7s 11d, in 1957, with contributions from the Horn Bequest and the Ellen L. Barber bequest.
Subject depicted
Summary
This statuette representing St. John Nepomuk is made by Franz Mathias Hiernle in ca. 1725, in Mainz.
St John Nepomuk was a foruteenth-century Jesuit saint martyred in Bohemia. Although he was not officially canonised until 1729, there are many representations of him in seventeenth and ealry eighteenth century German and Bohemian art. The figure shown here would originally have held a cross.

Hiernle (1677-1732) was employed as Court Sculptor by the Elector of Mainz, for whom he made a number of garden statues. He also executed sculpture for the Cathedral of Mainz.
Collection
Accession number
A.14-1957

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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