In this German, painted and gilded wood stature from about 1480, St. John is presented standing serenely, hands with fingers intertwined and held in front of his long, slender body. He wears a red long-sleeved, ankle-length garment over which a red and gilded wrap falls in folds over his right, sloping shoulder. His light skinned head seems unusually large for his body, in part attributable to his curly hair, cut close to his forehead, then covering his ears and angling out to his chin forming an almost triangular shape. His long oval face is impassive, eyes almost closed over downward cast eyes, and his small mouth pursed. His bare feet are firmly planted on the small, black round base that supports the stature.
German, Swabia
Saint John,
about 1480
Polychromed and gilded lindenwood
,
50.8 cm (20 in.)
Object details
Accession number
S28e30
Primary Creator
German, Swabia
Full title
Saint John
Creation Date
about 1480
Provenance
Entered Isabella Stewart Gardner's collection by 1903.
Dimensions
50.8 cm (20 in.)
Display Media
Polychromed and gilded lindenwood
Web Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.
Permanent Gallery Location
Chapel
Bibliography
Gilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935), p. 258. (as Bavarian, early 16th century)
Anneliese Harding. German Sculpture in New England Museums (Boston, 1972), p. 83. (as South German, end of the 15th century)
Cornelius C. Vermeule III et al. Sculpture in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (Boston, 1977), p. 176, no. 241. (as Swabian, about 1480)
Rights and reproductions
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Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.