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Late Medieval German Sculpture

• 
  Seated Bishop, ca. 1495
  Tilman Riemenschneider (German, 1460–1531, active in Würzburg, 1483–ca. 1525)
  Lindenwood, black stain; 35 1/2 x 14 x 5 7/8 in. (90.2 x 35.6 x 14.9 cm)
  The Cloisters Collection, 1970 (1970.137.1)
  
• 
  Virgin and Child, ca. 1425–1430
  Nuremberg
  Sandstone with polychromy; 57 1/2 x 21 1/4 x 11 13/16 in. (146 x 54 x 30 cm)
  Gift of Ilse C. Hesslein, in memory of Hans G. Hesslein and the Hesslein family, 1986 (1986.340)
  
• 

  Standing Virgin and Child, ca. 1470
  Attributed to Nikolaus Gerhaert von Leiden (Northern Lowlands, act. 1460–73)
  Vienna
  Boxwood; H. 13 1/4 in. (33.6 cm)
  Purchase, The Cloisters Collection and Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1996 (1996.14)

• 

  Bust of the Virgin, ca. 1390–95
  Bohemia
  Terracotta with polychromy; 12 13/16 x 8 13/16 x 5 7/16 in. (32.5 x 22.4 x 13.8 cm)
  The Cloisters Collection, 2005 (2005.393)

• 
  The Baptism of Christ, ca. 1480–1490
  Pupil of Veit Stoss
  Cracow
  Lindenwood with polychromy and gilding; 47 7/8 x 39 3/16 in. (120.6 x 99.6 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1912 (12.130.1)
  
• 
  Pietà (Vesperbild), ca. 1400
  Bohemian
  Limestone; 15 x 15 3/8 x 5 1/2 in. (38.1 x 39.1 x 14 cm)
  The Cloisters Collection, 2001 (2001.78)
  

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Ecclesiastic decoration, especially for winged altarpieces, was in great demand in the fifteenth and early sixteenth century, and sculpture workshops flourished in Central Europe as never before. Several individuals stand out among the creative talents of the time: Niclaus Gerhaert von Leiden (Standing Virgin and Child, 1996.14), Veit Stoss, and Tilman Riemenschneider (1970.137.1). All three mastered carving in both wood and stone, and produced works for a variety of purposes: the decoration of churches and houses (Virgin and Child, 1986.340), sculpted retables, and objects for private devotion. With a keen business sense, they sold inventive sculpture of great refinement, as well as more modest works that could be entrusted to an assistant following a model (Baptism of Christ, 12.130.1). The mobility of late medieval artists ensured the dissemination of styles over wide geographic areas. For example, echoes of the Schöne Stil (Beautiful Style) practiced in Prague around 1400 (Pietà, 2001.78), are found as far afield as Strasbourg and Poland. Likewise, Niclaus Gerhaert probably studied sculpture by Claus Sluter in Dijon, before working in Mainz, Strasbourg, Constance, and Vienna.

The mobility of late medieval artists ensured the dissemination of styles over wide geographic areas.

Related

Timelines (2)

• Central Europe (including Germany), 1000–1400 a.d.
• Central Europe (including Germany), 1400–1600 a.d.

Primary Thematic Essays (7)

• Art for the Christian Liturgy in the Middle Ages
• Gothic Art
• Late Medieval German Sculpture: Images for the Cult and for Private Devotion
• Late Medieval German Sculpture: Materials and Techniques
• Late Medieval German Sculpture: Polychromy and Monochromy
• Medieval European Sculpture for Buildings
• The Face in Medieval Sculpture

Other Thematic Essays (5)

• Bronze Sculpture in the Renaissance
• Life of Jesus of Nazareth
• List of Rulers of Europe
• Monasticism in Western Medieval Europe
• Private Devotion in Medieval Christianity

Maps (2)

• World, 1000-1400 A.D.
• World, 1400-1600 A.D.

Index Terms (17)

Art Movement/Style

• Gothic Medieval Art
• International Gothic Style in Medieval Art

Artist

• Leiden, Niclaus Gerhaert von (North Netherlandish, active in Strasbourg, 1450–60; died in Vienna, 1473?)
• Riemenschneider, Tilman (German, 1460–1531, active in Wurzburg, 1483–1525)
• Stoss, Veit (German, 1438/47–1533)
• Workshop of Master Tilman (German, active late 15th century)

Geography/Place

• Central Europe
• European Medieval Art

Material and Technique

• Sculpture in the Round from Central Europe

Subject Matter/Theme

• Baptism of Christ
• Religious Figure
• Religious Figures from Europe
• Religious Figures from Central Europe
• Saint from Central Europe (including Germany)
• Christianity
• Christian Sculpture in the Round
• Christian Sculpture Relief

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Julien Chapuis Department of Medieval Art and The Cloisters, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Citation Chapuis, Julien. "Late Medieval German Sculpture". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/grmn_1/hd_grmn_1.htm (October 2002) Further Reading Gothic and Renaissance Art in Nuremberg, 1300–1550. Exhibition catalogue.. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1986. Baxandall, Michael The Limewood Sculptors of Renaissance Germany. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1980. Chapuis, Julien Tilman Riemenschneider: Master Sculptor of the Late Middle Ages. Exhibition catalogue.. Washington, D.C.: The National Gallery of Art, 1999. Related exhibitions and online features Special Exhibitions (including upcoming, current, and past exhibitions)

These related Museum Bulletin or Journal articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship. Wixom, William D. "Late Medieval Sculpture in the Metropolitan, 1400 to 1530." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 64, no. 4 (Spring, 2007). JSTOR | PDF Wixom, William D. "Medieval Sculpture: At The Cloisters." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 46, no. 3 (Winter, 1988–89). JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs "Director’s Note" PDF "Introduction" PDF Von Nostitz, Charles E., Jr. "Two Unpolychromed Riemenschneiders at The Cloisters." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 10 (1975). JSTOR | PDF Husband, Timothy "A Beautiful Madonna in the Cloisters Collection." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 28, no. 6 (February, 1970). JSTOR | PDF Forsyth, William H. "A Group of Fourteenth-Century Mosan Sculptures." Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 1 (1968). JSTOR | PDF Bier, Justus "Riemenschneider's Helpers in Need." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 21, no. 10 (June, 1963). JSTOR | PDF Ostoia, Vera K. "A Palmesel at the Cloisters." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 14, no. 7 (March, 1956). JSTOR | PDF Rorimer, James J. "The Virgin from Strasbourg Cathedral." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 7, no. 8 (April, 1949). JSTOR | PDF Forsyth, William H. "Saint Eloi and King Clothar." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New ser., v. 4, no. 5 (January, 1946). JSTOR | PDF