Lot number 20 - Auction 165
HEILIGER MÖNCH

HOLY MONK Franconia, Southern Germany, early 16th century Linden wood, sculpted and stained, flattened and hollowed on the back; crozier added later; mounted on a pedestal. H. 82, W. 28, D. 24 cm. A late Gothic depiction of a holy monk holding a book, from a Franconian workshop of the early 16th century. The figure is dressed in the habit of a monastic and embodies the virtues of humility, scholarship, and the contemplative life characteristic of late medieval piety. The serene posture, the finely rendered facial features, and the three-dimensionally rendered folds of the robe are characteristic of the high-quality Franconian woodcarving tradition at the threshold of the transition from the Late Gothic to the Renaissance. In good condition with some wear; stress cracks, minor missing areas, restored; minimal woodworm damage.