Polychromed Sculpture Of A Saintly King. Austrian, Tyrol, Late 15th Century.

A gilt and polychromed limewood sculpture of a Saintly King.

Austrian, Tyrol, late 15th century.

Measures 111cm high.

This charismatic figure’s identity as a king is suggested by his attributes—a crown and an orb, which was once topped by a cross. Though the loss of a possible second attribute, perhaps a sceptre, prevents a more precise identification, he is likely a saintly king, such as St. Oswald or St. Henry II. Traditionally believed to have been created in the Tyrol, this figure closely resembles a Saint Nicholas sculpture from around 1470 in St. Georgen am Pinzgau, a neighbouring region of Austria (Legner, op. cit., fig. 160a). Notable similarities include the figure’s short stature, drapery featuring a prominent ‘auricular’ fold across the lower body, and distinctive facial features—broad with small eyes, a slightly pouting mouth, and finely carved texturing that suggests age. A comparable approach to facial representation appears in the figure of Saint Wolfgang from Michael Pacher’s grand altarpiece at St. Wolfgang im Salzkammergut. Pacher, perhaps the most influential Tyrolean sculptor of the late 15th century, employed a similar stylistic treatment (see Müller, op. cit., fig. 21).

Overall the condition of the sculpture is good with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. The proper left hand is lost and there are some chips, and the proper right hand is reattached. The tips of the feet are reattached or carved separately. The front section of the drapery with blue lining is carved separately, and may be partially restored. There is some very minor stable splitting to the wood consistent with the material. There are some small losses, including to one of the points of the coronet and to the edges of the remaining points. Much of the original polychromy and gilding survives, however the paint has been refreshed in parts.

Provenance:
With Wilhelm Henrich, Frankfurt am Main, 1957;
private collection, Germany, acquired from the above;
thence by descent to the present owners

Related Literature

T. Müller, Gotische Skulptur in Tirol, Bozen, 1976.
A. Legner, Spätgotik in Salzburg: Skulptur und Kunstgewerbe 1400–1530, exh. cat. Neues Haus, Salzburg, 1976, p. 129.