18th-Century Baroque Sculpture of the Madonna and Child:
A stunning polychrome and gilded wooden relief sculpture from the early 18th century, attributed to a follower of the esteemed Austrian Baroque sculptor Thomas Schwanthaler (1634-1707). This masterfully carved devotional piece depicts the Madonna and Child, surrounded by cherubic angels amidst swirling clouds, evoking a celestial vision of divine grace. The Madonna’s flowing robes, executed with deep folds and dynamic movement, reflect the opulent Baroque style, characterized by its theatricality and emotive intensity.
Schwanthaler, one of the most significant sculptors of the Austrian Baroque period, was part of a lineage of sculptors in Ried im Innkreis, Austria, where his family workshop operated for generations. The Schwanthaler family, deeply rooted in South German and Austrian Baroque traditions, was instrumental in developing religious sculpture that merged the grandiosity of Italian High Baroque with the more expressive and folk-oriented characteristics of Bavarian and Austrian Baroque schools. His works, often commissioned for ecclesiastical settings, exhibit a dramatic interplay of light and shadow (chiaroscuro), theatrical gestures, and heightened emotional realism, making them deeply resonant for worshippers.
The sculpture’s exuberant composition and lifelike expressions are hallmarks of the Baroque aesthetic, which sought to engage the viewer emotionally and spiritually. The dynamic arrangement of figures, cascading drapery, and billowing clouds create a sense of movement and fluidity, essential to Baroque religious art’s goal of transcending static representation. The Madonna’s slightly tilted head and contemplative expression, alongside the cherubs’ tender, playful interactions, enhance the narrative immediacy-a defining trait of Central European Baroque sculpture. These elements reflect the broader artistic ambitions of the period: to make sacred figures more relatable, engaging the faithful in a heightened spiritual experience.
The piece likely served as a devotional or altarpiece relief, meant to inspire veneration through its richly painted and gilded surfaces, which shimmer under candlelight-a technique frequently employed in Austrian Baroque altarpieces to heighten the divine presence.
Artist: Follower of Thomas Schwanthaler (Austrian, 1634-1707 )
Issued: Circa 1710-1720
Dimensions: 24″L x 14″W x 52″H
Country of Origin: Austria
Provenance: Xaver Scheidwimmer OHG, Kunsthandel, in Munich; John and Johanna Bass Collection, New York, NY; Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach, FL, 1964.
Condition
Age related wear.
