Germany, Würzburg, 16th century / 1502–8
Saint Stephen
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Saint Stephen as sculpture (Germany, Würzburg, 16th century · 1502–8).
Tilman Riemenschneider (c. 1460–1531) is probably the most famous German sculptor of the period around 1500.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this sculpture as lindenwood with polychromy and gilding and credits Tilman Riemenschneider (German, active Würzburg, c. 1460–1531).
The museum's collection notes: This sculpture, along with that of Saint Lawrence (1959.42) and two others in Germany, are believed to be the remaining fragments of a large altarpiece carved by Riemenschneider for the Dominican convent in Rothenburg in Franconia (demolished in 1813). Saints Stephen and Lawrence both wear the dalmatic to indicate their status as deacons in the early church. Each holds a symbol of his martyrdom; here, Saint Stephen cradles some stones to indicate his death by stoning. Art in Germany through the early 1500s remained firmly anchored in the late Gothic style with its associated interests in realism. Riemenschneider was one of the most prolific a
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The Cleveland Museum of ArtSaint StephenOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.