Attributed to Niclaus of Haguenau (German, ca. 1445–before 1538)
German; Made in Strasbourg, Upper Rhine Valley
Walnut
H. 44 3/4 in. (113.7 cm)
The Cloisters Collection, 1988 (1988.159)
The figure of Saint Anthony Abbot combines traditional elements of his representation in an innovative way. Traditional are the hermit's full beard, habit and loose cap, crutch of tau cross (the only remaining part), and the satanic demon under his feet. The antagonists' interaction is unusual: the demon tears at the front and back of the abbot's robes, and, despite his ordeal, the saint is shown in sober triumph, as he rests a foot at the demon's neck and thrusts his crutch into its jaws. Also unusual is the carving fully in the round. This three-dimensionality, nearly unique, suggests that the work was an individual cult figure, which could have been set on an altar dedicated to the saint, on a bracket behind it, or against a nave column of a monastery church. It might have been carried in procession and, at rest, housed in an altar shrine. The subject—a third-century Egyptian saint whose order was founded in Europe in the eleventh century—provides a clue. The Antonites were dedicated to the care of the sick, largely through the establishment of hospitals. Since the order had two foundations in Alsace—at Isenheim and Strasbourg—it is possible that this figure belonged to one of them.
The portrayal suggests several psychological states: introspection, anguish, and triumph. The intense gaze, folds of flesh, and richly carved strands of hair and beard are a means of expressing them. Coming near the end of the Late Gothic period, this accomplishment represents a major breakthrough in depicting human individuality and spirituality.
Related
Index Terms
Artist
Material and Technique
- Sculpture, In the Round, Europe
- Sculpture, in the Round, Europe, Central Europe
- Wood, Carved
- Wood, Walnut
- Wood, Sculpture in the Round
