Resting Wanderers

Attributed to Simon Troger German

ca. 1745

Not on view

Gathered around a cooking pot, this group of raggedly clad, but sensitively carved figures prepare a meal together. The standing figure, a bearded man, extends his right hand, offering a bunch of grapes to one of his companions. The grapes and the pomegranate in his left hand identify the man as either Joshua or Caleb, the two successful scouts sent out by the Israelites, after they left Egypt (Numbers 13:17-30; Deuteronomy 1:22-40). A second man, also holding grapes, once accompanied the group as a complementary, but separate, sculpture to complete the biblical pair. Simon Troger, a distinguished sculptor from East Tyrol, was a master of the multi-material technique demonstrated here. The dark wood and white ivory create a contrast in texture and color that animates the sculpture, while sparkling glass eyes enliven the faces of Troger’s figures.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Resting Wanderers
Artist: Attributed to Simon Troger (German, 1683–1768)
Date: ca. 1745
Culture: Southern German
Medium: Historic ivory, fruitwood, glass
Dimensions: confirmed: 15 3/4 × 17 × 13 7/8 in. (40 × 43.2 × 35.2 cm)
Classification: Natural Substances-Ivory
Credit Line: Gift of the Sapir Family, in memory of Tamir Sapir, 2024
Object Number: 2024.141.1
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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