Michael Lake
Head of Department
Lot 21*,TP
Attributed to Michael Pacher (German, circa 1435-1498): A carved wood and polychrome and parcel gilt decorated figure of a male saint, possibly St JohnSouth German or Tyrolean, late 15th century
17 November 2021, 14:00 GMT
London, New Bond StreetSold for £10,200 inc. premium
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Attributed to Michael Pacher (German, circa 1435-1498): A carved wood and polychrome and parcel gilt decorated figure of a male saint, possibly St John
South German or Tyrolean, late 15th century
the figure with rope tied wavy shoulder length fair hair looking slightly to sinister, clad in a draped and folded cloak held about his body, his left hand clutching the upheld hem, raised on a later stained wood rectangular base, the figure, 78cm high, the later base 5cm high
the figure with rope tied wavy shoulder length fair hair looking slightly to sinister, clad in a draped and folded cloak held about his body, his left hand clutching the upheld hem, raised on a later stained wood rectangular base, the figure, 78cm high, the later base 5cm high
Footnotes
Provenance
With Reinhold Hofstätter, Vienna
The sculptor, architect and painter Michael Pacher was active during the later part of the 15th century. Cited as perhaps one of the earliest artists to introduce the Renaissance style to a German clientele, he was famous for producing elaborate painted and sculpted works in both wood and stone showing a uniquely personal side incorporating elements of the Italian Renaissance and the Northern Gothic.
Producing works including painted structures for altarpieces on an unparalleled scale in North European, his finest work is perhaps the St Wolfgang Altarpiece (1471-1481) in Salzkammergut which is considered to be one of the most outstanding examples of a carved and painted altar shrine illustrating scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary. Pacher's other great work, the Altarpiece of the Church Fathers was created in 1483 for Neustift Monastery and this also combined painting and sculpture to produce a unique composition.
Influenced primarily by North Italian art, Pacher's work however shares characteristics with the work of the Italian artist Andrea Mantegna whilst also reflecting the heritage and tradition of a number of South German carvers.
The plump facial features of the present lot with his upturned nose, distinctive waving to the hair and crinkled folds of the drapery compare closely to figures in Pacher's St Wolfgang Altarpiece, see T. Müller, Gotik in Tirol, Bozen, 1976, figs. 122-124 and pl. XXVII.
