16th Century German Lamentation Retable

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A large carved and gilded polychrome lamentation, probably North German, early 16th century. 119 cm high, 90 cm wide, 22 cm deep. This beautiful piece, in very fine condition, may have originally formed part of a retable, a large craved timber screen placed above and at the rear of an altar. Its possible origins are early 16th century and Northern Germany. Its finely carved tracery, retaining some of its original gilding, is in the form of looping ivy and bears comparison with a large fifteenth century retable in the Marktkirche in Hannover, North-Central Germany. The painted gesso over the pine oak sculpture is also in very good condition. Retables often display images of the Passion or the Stages of the Cross as they draw the congregation?s pious attention to the theme of the Eucharistic body of Christ; appropriate to their placement at the altar where the Mass is celebrated. This work is notable for its skilful depth of carving. The treatment of the figures? hair is especially fine as is the articulation of facial features and especially, Christ?s body. The shallow depth tooling of the scene?s background retains much of its original gilding as do the swirling draperies of the figures? cloaks. These combine brilliantly with the rich blue of the backdrop and the blues and reds of the clothing. The painted gesso also demonstrates lovely subtle colouring on the faces and on the body of Christ. The figures comprise a well-composed arrangement about the body of Christ. Rather than scenes showing movement within each of the Passion events, the artist of this panel has chosen to focus on a more contemplative aspect. The body of Christ is, therefore, tilted up towards the viewer to encourage meditation. Each of the figures looks with sorrow in a different direction. This is a remarkable feature that demonstrates the skill of the artist in creating a moving and distinctive interpretation of a well-known image. Within this cohesive group composition we are drawn to a poignant expression of the individual experience of grief. The manner in which the Virgin Mary is shown supporting the left arm of Christ and his head also shows particular skill. This gesture is balanced well by the figure of St John the Evangelist who supports Christ?s right elbow. At either side are raised hands of the bearded figures, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Joseph holds up a cloth as the Gospel of Mark (15:46) tells of Joseph purchasing fine linen to wrap the holy body while John?s Gospel (19:39-42) recounts that he was assisted in the preparation of the body by Nicodemus. To the right sits a pensive Mary Magdalene, holding her traditional attribute, the vessel of ointment, referring to earlier event in which she anoints Christ?s feet with expensive perfume as well as the description in Mark?s Gospel (16:1) in which she goes to the tomb with spices to anoint the body. Dr. Bronwyn Stocks

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Polychrome - Made or finished in many colours. For furniture, it is used to indicated a painted finish.
Gesso - A mixture of plaster of Paris and gypsum mixed with water and then applied to the carved wooden frames of mirrors and picture frames as a base for applying gold leaf. After numerous coats of gesso have been applied, allowed to dry and then sanded a coat of "bole", a usually red coloured mixture of clay and glue is brushed on and allowed to dry, after which the gold leaf is applied. In painting, gesso is also used to prime a canvas prior to applying paint.
Oak - Native to Europe and England, oak has been used for joinery, furniture and building since the beginning of the medieval civilisation. It is a pale yellow in colour when freshly cut and darkens with age to a mid brown colour.

Oak as a furniture timber was superceded by walnut in the 17th century, and in the 18th century by mahogany,

Semi-fossilised bog oak is black in colour, and is found in peat bogs where the trees have fallen and been preserved from decay by the bog. It is used for jewellery and small carved trinkets.

Pollard oak is taken from an oak that has been regularly pollarded, that is the upper branches have been removed at the top of the trunk, result that new branches would appear, and over time the top would become ball-like. . When harvested and sawn, the timber displays a continuous surface of knotty circles. The timber was scarce and expensive and was used in more expensive pieces of furniture in the Regency and Victorian periods.
Gilding - Gilding is a method of ornamentation whereby a thin sheet of gold metal is applied to items made of wood, leather, ceramics, glass and silver for decorative purposes.

For furniture including mirrors, the sheet of gold is usually applied over a coating of gesso. Gesso is a mixture of plaster of Paris and gypsum mixed with water and then applied to the carved wooden frames of mirrors and picture frames as a base for applying the gold leaf. After numerous coats of gesso have been applied, allowed to dry and then sanded a coat of "bole", a usually red coloured mixture of clay and glue is brushed on and allowed to dry, after which the gold leaf is applied. Over time parts of the gilding will rub off so the base colour can be seen. In water gilding, this was generally a blue colour, while in oil gilding, the under layer was often yellow. In Victorian times, gilders frequently used red as a pigment beneath the gold leaf.

Metal was often gilded by a process known as fire gilding. Gold mixed with mercury was applied and heated, causing the mercury to evaporate, the long-term effect of which was to kill or disable the craftsman or woman from mercury poisoning. The pursuit of beauty has claimed many victims, not the least of which were the artists who made those pieces so highly sought after today.

This item has been included into following indexes:

religious objects, Christian
- figures and figurines, angels 261
- Jesus, items depicting 378
- panels and plaques 113
- Virgin Mary, items depicting 279

16th Century German Lamentation Retable

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