Sculpture, Mater Dolorosa - 34 cm - Limewood

Brief description (Introduction) Expressive and authentic late Gothic wooden high relief of a grieving woman (plorante), depicting Maria of Sorrows (Mater Dolorosa) or one of the Holy Women at the Cross. Carved from deciduous wood (presumably linden or walnut wood) with in the deeper folds still beautiful remnants of the original chalk underlayer and old polychromy. An early 16th-century sculpture with great emotional expressiveness and a rich, time-worn patina. Provenance: Monasso Collection.

Expanded description This characterful high relief originally formed part of a late medieval passion table or a monumental Crucifixion or Bewailing group. The female figure is depicted in deep mourning: with a restrained, silent gaze and downcast eyes she brings a heavy fold of her cloak (or sudarium) to her face with her left hand to dry her tears. A particularly touching detail in the carving is the subtly relief-carved tear that runs under her right eye down the cheek.

This specific gesture of mourning is strongly rooted in the late Gothic passion iconography of the Netherlands and the Rhine/Duchy of the German-speaking area, where human emotion and compassion (compassio) were central. The figure wears a hood or veil over the head, combined with a high-collared chin band (barbet) in horizontal folds around the neck and a garment with deep, boldly carved vertical folds on the chest.

Technique and rear The flat finished back of the sculpture also offers fascinating insight into the early 16th-century craft. The wood still bears the original working marks and the incised construction lines (guide lines) of the medieval wood carver. At the top there is a carved-out blind hole with an early hand-forged iron plate (fastened with a forged nail), by which the relief was originally anchored in the altarpiece cabinet or to a wall. Additionally, the back bears an old collection or inventory label (4114 / 2x).

Condition The fragment is in an honest, unrestored, well-worn state appropriate to its age of about 500 years. In the past the sculpture has been stripped of later overpaint, leaving clear traces of the original white chalk underlayer and old polychromy in the depths of the carving, around the veil and in the face. The wood shows signs of aging, old (inactive) woodworm holes, an old hairline crack, and wear on the highest parts (including the tip of the nose and the edges of the mantle folds), without conflicting later additions or retouches. Thanks to the old iron fittings on the back, the piece can be presented directly on the wall.

Specifications

Object: Retable fragment / High relief (Mater Dolorosa / Plorante)

Period: Late Gothic / Early Renaissance, ca. 1500–1530

Provenance: Southern Germany (likely Swabia or Franconia) or Alpine region

Material: Linden wood with remnants of chalk underlayer and polychromy, forged iron at the rear

Dimensions: Height: 34 cm | Width: 24 cm | Depth: 6.5 cm

Weight: 376 grams

Provenance: Monasso Collection (collected over 60 years)