Johann Benedikt Witz - Saint Anthony of Padua and the Miracle of the Host

Johann Benedikt Witz

Saint Anthony of Padua and the Miracle of the Host

Carved pear wood, the reverse flattened. This relief in an ornamental rocaille surround depicts a scene from the life of Saint Anthony of Padua. When a non-believer expressed doubt regarding the presence of Christ in the sacraments, Saint Anthony called for a donkey to be brought to him that had not eaten for three days. When the Saint approached the animal carrying a monstrance containing a consecrated host, it lay down before him without even touching the food that was offered to it. The scene is accentuated in the upper section by a censing angel and inscribed "ECCe DOMINUS DeUS TUUS." The piece can be dated to around 1765 - 1767 and forms a pendant to the following lot.
Minimal wear. 31.5 x 23.5 x 3.5 cm.

Provenance

Private ownership, Mainz. - Private ownership, Wiesbaden. - Lempertz auction 540, Cologne, 16.11.1974, lot 1455. - Rhenish private collection.

Literature

Hans-Peter Trenschel: Fränkische Kleinplastik des Rokoko. Johann Benedikt Witz (1709-1780), Würzburg 1980 (Publikation zur Ausstellung des Mainfränkischen Museums Würzburg), p. 81-82, no. 57, illus. 40.