Bartholomäus Steinle, attributed to
Carved limewood relief of soldiers and two High Priests, attributed to Bartholomäus Steinle
Limewood, carved from two blocks, partially freestanding, the reverse flattened. With the original polychromy and some areas of a second coat of polychromy revealed. This high quality and extremely appealing relief has survived with its original polychromy almost entirely intact, and bears the carved date "1601" on its reverse. It shows a group of soldiers and two high priests moving towards the right, where it would presumably have been accompanied by a depiction of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The relief has been determined by Bernhard Decker to be a South German work from the circle of Hans Degler and has been attributed to Bartholomäus Steinle, who was active in Weilheim, whereby special reference should be made to the depiction of St. Damian from Steinle's bracket figures in the parish church in Tutzing for comparison.
The raised right hand of the soldier in armour partially lost. Minimal wear from insect damage to the left edge. The head of the figure in the top left and the front left corner of the plinth reattached. 47.5 x 32 x 14 cm.
Certificate
Dr. Bernhard Decker, Frankfurt June 2015.
Provenance
Acquired in 2013 from North German private ownership. - Collection of Dr. Bernhard Decker, Frankfurt.
Literature
For the aforementioned comparison works, see Wilhelm Zohner: Bartholomäus Steinle (um 1590-1628/1629). Bildhauer und ´Director über den Kirchenbau zu Weilheim´, Weißenhorn 1993, illus. 204.