Invidia (Envy) and Fury
Statuette
ca. 1640-1650 (made)
ca. 1640-1650 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This allegorical group shows a female and male figure kneeling back to back. The woman, depicted as old, gnaws at a heart(?) which she holds in her right hand. The younger man struggles with a serpent. The group probably symbolises Envy (the woman) and Furor, or Fury (the man).
This group is typical of small-scale allegorical sculpture carved in South Germany in the first half of the seventeenth century. It was probably made in Ulm in South Germany by an artist working in the circle of David Heschler (1611-1667). It is reminiscent of the allegorical figure of Sickness, carved in boxwood, also in the V&A collection attributed to Heschler (Museum no. A.3-1956). Boxwood was a particularly suitable material in that it is a hard wood and so could be carved with close attention to detail.
This group is typical of small-scale allegorical sculpture carved in South Germany in the first half of the seventeenth century. It was probably made in Ulm in South Germany by an artist working in the circle of David Heschler (1611-1667). It is reminiscent of the allegorical figure of Sickness, carved in boxwood, also in the V&A collection attributed to Heschler (Museum no. A.3-1956). Boxwood was a particularly suitable material in that it is a hard wood and so could be carved with close attention to detail.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Title | Invidia (Envy) and Fury (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Carved boxwood |
Brief description | Allegorical boxwood group by an artist working in the circle of David Heschler |
Physical description | This allegorical group shows a female and male figure kneeling back to back. The woman, depicted as old, gnaws at a heart(?) which she holds in her right hand. The younger man struggles with a serpent. The group probably symbolises Envy (the woman) and Furor, or Fury (the man). The style of the group suggests it was carved in Ulm in the mid-seventeenth century by an artist working in the circle of David Heschler (1611-1667). It is reminiscent of the allegorical figure of Sickness also in the V&A collection attributed to Heschler (inv. no. A.3-1956). |
Dimensions |
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Credit line | Purchased under the bequest of Captain W. H. Murray |
Object history | Acquired by Dr Hildburgh at a sale at Messrs Knight, Frank & Rutley, London, July 17, 1934, lot 10. Bought from Dr Hildburgh for £9 19s 6d under the bequest of Captain H. W. Murray. |
Production | This was probably made by an artist working in the circle of David Heschler |
Summary | This allegorical group shows a female and male figure kneeling back to back. The woman, depicted as old, gnaws at a heart(?) which she holds in her right hand. The younger man struggles with a serpent. The group probably symbolises Envy (the woman) and Furor, or Fury (the man). This group is typical of small-scale allegorical sculpture carved in South Germany in the first half of the seventeenth century. It was probably made in Ulm in South Germany by an artist working in the circle of David Heschler (1611-1667). It is reminiscent of the allegorical figure of Sickness, carved in boxwood, also in the V&A collection attributed to Heschler (Museum no. A.3-1956). Boxwood was a particularly suitable material in that it is a hard wood and so could be carved with close attention to detail. |
Bibliographic reference | C. Theuerkauff, 'David Heschler (1611-16667)' 'Weltkunst. no. 10. 15 September 2000. p. 1707 and fig. 9 on p. 1706. |
Collection | |
Accession number | A.22-1934 |
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Record created | December 30, 2008 |
Record URL |
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