Adoring Angel

Limewood grows in southern Germany and was used exclusively by German carvers in this area, not only because of its availability but because of its suitability for carving, even against the grain. The wood’s qualities make possible the masterful deeply cut swirling drapery folds in sculpture of this period. Originally, the angel sculptures would have been polychrome, or brightly colored, but many German late gothic sculptures were stripped of their painted surfaces due to a fad that began in the mid-nineteenth century when the unpainted sculpture of Tilman Riemenschneider (German, ca. 1460–1531) was rediscovered. Traces of gesso ground are visible in the deep recesses of the drapery folds of these two sculptures, indicating that the surface had been painted. In fact, the Chazen sculptures were formerly attributed to Riemenschneider, a common occurrence and testament to the widespread late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century popularity of this artist. The broad, planar surfaces of the figures’ faces resemble the general stylistic characteristics of Riemenschneider and his workshop, but the carving is less refined in quality. Further research is needed to identify the artist or workshop responsible for these works of German sculpture.