Religious Sculpture

The range of scale in this series is wider than anywhere else in the catalogue. At one end a figurine of the Madonna in a veil holding the Child, moulded roses flowering at her feet. At the other a monumental composition of ninety kilograms: the scene at the cross with the INRI tablet, a ladder and figures.

The image of the Mother of God returns in several treatments: hands open with two winged cherub heads below; Mary Help of Christians crowned, the Child crowned on her arm; motherhood scenes set on a cushion with gold tassels.

The narrative compositions stand apart. A nativity in a grotto — man, woman and infant, an ox beside them, a gilded comet above. A meal around a long table. A scene among rocks and a tomb. A master at work with hammer, chisels and ladder.

Single figures of saints are here as well: the apostle Jude Thaddeus in a long robe, a crowned figure enthroned, a winged figure with a spear on rocky ground. The larger the piece, the more of a story it carries.