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Description A Rhenish late Gothic carved limestone bust of a kneeling man, possibly Nicodemus or Joseph of Arimathea
Western Rhine Valley, late 15th/early 16th century
H: 22, W: 22, D: 13 in. (approx.)
PROVENANCE:
Jacqueline Boccador, Paris.
Private Collection, New York, NY.
Condition Report Descriptions provided in both printed and on-line catalogue formats do not include condition reports. The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot provided by Freeman's. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Freeman's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the condition report is a statement of opinion genuinely held by Freeman's. For that reason, Freeman's condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. All transactions are governed by Freeman's Conditions of Sale.
Notes This life-sized bust, carved of the iron-veined limestone of the Strasbourg region, is depicted with a dramatic and rugged verisimilitude in the manner of the masters of Strasbourg Cathedral, Hans Hammer and Nicolas Gerhaert de Leyde. His dynamic pose, frozen in a moment of plastic torsion, incorporates Renaissance ideals of individuality and movement in art reaching the Rhine River basin at the end of the 15th century. His face, carved with virtuous plasticity and highly individualized features, hints at a portrait of a true individual, with hollow cheeckbones, almond eyes, and a wide nose. At the same time, his grief-stricken eyes turn plaintively to heaven, betraying any sense of Gothic stoicism, as his inner turmoil and psychological tension are laid bare. The moment seems to be one of prayer, the man probably on his knees, his hands, now lost, once clasped and raised in lamentation. His finely wrought garments, comprised of a heavy and luxurious mantle, a vest with delicately floral embroidered collar, and a soft undershirt, are the uniform of a bourgeois man of means. This may be the costume of a wealthy urban merchant, a patron whose donation has afforded his likeness immortality in the iconography of his local church. He may also be a Biblical figure, though one of the secular world. Comparisons can be made to the bearded figures of both Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea depicted in the Deposition by the Master of St. Martha at at Villeneuve-l''Archevêque, dated to 1528. This lot is sold together with a copy of a 2011 analysis by Théo-Antoine Hermanès, which may also be reviewed upon request prior to the auction.