Description:

Ulm Master - Adoration of the Child
Masterly relief of a sculptor from Ulm
Possibly workshop of Micheal Erhart (1440/45 - 1522)
Around 1490/1500
Carved lime wood
Wonderfully preserved, original finish!
Length 44 cm, height 25.5 cm, depth 4 cm

Provenance:
Hofstätter Collection, Vienna

This masterful relief (44 x 25.8 cm) is a representation of the Adoration of the Magi. It is composed of several lime wood panels in horizontal format, whereby the figures emerge almost fully three-dimensional from the uniformly retained picture background. The original setting has been preserved, especially the incarnate parts and the gilded and silvered splendid robes, the latter oxidized to a deep shade of gray (this underlines the age of the relief). This is the work of the Swabian workshop of a master from Ulm in the late 15th century.
The three kings of the East approach from the right the Holy Family, consisting of Joseph, Mary and the Child Jesus. The bearded Joseph stands at the left edge of the picture, leaning on a stick, and overlooks the scene to his right: Mary, wrapped in golden robes and a veil, is shown seated with her hands clasped around the infant's naked body. The infant leans forward and reaches for the gifts that one of the three kings is handing him. This is gold, presented in a box in small bars. The bald, older king with a long beard kneels in front of the two in typical manner and looks at the child, his mouth open either in amazement or in dialogue.
Two more kings approach from the right, who also want to offer gifts - probably frankincense and myrrh. The left, younger man is characterized by his frontality; he almost seems to look at the viewer and walk towards him with his left foot bent. The left hand carries a gold chalice, while the right is led to the hat, which he will presumably remove in the next moment out of deference. He seems to want to animate the viewer by his look to do it like him in his gesture of devotion.
The king on the right edge of the picture next to him is part of the convention - starting in the 12th century and reinforced since the 14th century - to depict one of the three kings as a black African. This could be related to the fact that they were supposed to represent different parts of the world. Depending on the region, the attribution of the names to the respective kings varies: Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. Caspar, as the youngest king, traditionally brings the myrrh - perhaps this is him, since he is depicted beardless? Especially since the end of the 15th century, the black king was shown in Gothic painting north of the Alps; also in contrast with light-colored clothing, as in this case with a short golden skirt and a silver top whose volume resembles a chest armor. He has chubby cheeks, a big red mouth and short curls - he has already taken off his hat and holds it in his left hand - these features being typical of a so-called "Moor".
Striking comparisons are offered by works of the so-called Ulm School, such as Mary's wavy curls as well as the hairstyle of the other figures; the impressive faces with prominent cheekbones; the depiction of the mouth open in surprise as well as the figure of the dark-skinned king. The physiognomy of the figures points to the succession of Hans Multscher (1400-1467), who significantly influenced the sculptors of Ulm. The relief could come from the workshop of Michel Erhart (1440/45-1522), which he maintained in Ulm from 1474. If one compares his figures on the relief panel of the high altar in Blaubeuren, appropriate similarities are apparent. However, the drapery of the heavy robes falls in edgy complex folded configurations, while the relief presented here captivates by a soft modeling of the clothes and the bodies. This suggests an earlier date of origin, probably in the second half of the 15th century. Similar depictions can also be found at the beginning of the 16th century in the wing reliefs of Niklaus Weckmann (1481-1526), who developed one of the largest southern German carving workshops of the late Gothic period.
It is clear that this small relief comes from the circle of a late Gothic workshop in the Swabian region, probably from the sculptor network of the Ulm School of the second generation (from the middle of the 15th century).

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