Lot 2252 Dα

Central Germany Circa 1520

A Central German carved wood Lamentation relief, circa 1520

Carved from four blocks, the reverse smoothed down. With extensive remains of partially overpainted older polychromy. This pierced relief depicts the mourning Virgin supporting the body of Her dead Son across Her right knee and holding Him with both hands. The relief formed part of a scene of theLlamentation of Christ beneath the cross, which we can tell because of the rectangular indentation in the back of the Virgin where the vertical beam of the cross would originally have stood, and because the jar of ointment is depicted on the stone on the right. The composition of the finely carved and expressive relief is designed to present the body of Christ and His wounds to receive the compassionate prayer of the beholder.
Wear with minor losses throughout. Insect damage. Some vertical cracks. Stabilised with a wooden panel on the reverse. 66 x 70 x 9 cm.