SOUABE, RÉGION D'ULM DÉBUT DU XVIe siècle

SOUABE, RÉGION D'ULM DÉBUT DU XVIe siècle

SAINT CATHERINE OF ALEXANDRIA Around 1510-1520
Lime tree
H. 118 cm, W. 39 cm, D. 17 cm
Good condition, original polychromy
Restorations to the sword blade and left
hand Coming from a noble family of Alexandria, Saint Catherine refused to marry the Emperor in person, because of her mystical marriage to Christ. She victoriously supports a dispute against fifty Alexandrian philosophers, charged by the Emperor Maximian to demonstrate to her the inanity of the Christian faith. Furious at this failure, Maximian had these philosophers burned alive, then condemned Catherine to be torn apart by a wheel with spikes. The wheel breaks miraculously. Catherine finally dies with her head cut off.
Mystical wife of Christ, whose power of intercession came just after that of the
Virgin, Saint Catherine was at the end of the Middle Ages the object of a strong devotion, which is reflected in the charming work of the sculptor.
From a relatively elongated cannon the sculpture is carved out of a linden log hollowed out from behind. Particularly popular in Swabian workshops because of its homogeneous appearance and its tender and light nature, which is characteristic of a very fine rendering and has a beautiful polish, the lime tree has allowed a particularly elegant treatment of the materials on this Saint Catherine.
This is particularly apparent in the saint's hairstyle where, from the shoulders to the waist, the locks of hair are worked into extraordinary striated double spirals. This is also the case with her coat, whose drapes sometimes seem to have no other purpose than to show off the talent of her craftsman, like the angular projections on the bent leg.
The book she is holding, a characteristic attribute of the saint, refers to her mastery of dialectics, rhetoric and sophistry, which in the Middle Ages earned her the homage of the clerics, to the point of making her a patron saint of the Sorbonne. The sword with the pommel and the engraved hilt that she holds in her right hand is that of her martyrdom.
The drapery with deep, angular folds and the fullness of form combined with a peaceful expression of gentleness is reminiscent of the style in use in the Ulm region and particularly in the entourage of Niclaus Weckmann (active from 1481 to 1526).
Accompanied by many companions, Weckmann's formulas and manners quickly spread throughout the region. Another clue is added to this hypothesis.
The pair of notches visible under the base of the statue bear witness to the use of a forked vice workbench, a tool whose use was not unknown in other workshops, but nevertheless very characteristic of Weckmannian circles (Sophie Guillot de Suduinaut). Automatically translated by DeepL. To see the original version, click here.