Lot 2208 Dα

Balthasar Permoser, attributed to

A carved wood Corpus Christi attributed to Balthasar Permoser

Carved in the round. This depiction of Christ shows Him crucified with three nails, with arms spread wide apart and His head tilted back and to one side. The expressive Corpus testifies to the influence of Italian models and can presumably be dated to the 4th quarter of the 17th century. An attribution to Balthasar Permoser has recently been suggested. This artist began his training in Salzburg and Vienna before travelling to Italy in 1675 and becoming a pupil of Giovanni Battista Foggini (see next lot). He was summoned to become court sculptor at Dresden in 1689, and thus became the most influential representative of the Italian school in Germany.
A vertical hairline crack through the chest. Mounted on a wooden cross. The associated gilt brass plinth bears the coat-of-arms of the Pignatelli family and presumably originally formed part of a fire dog. Corpus height 52 cm. Width of arms 50 cm. Height with cross and plinth 158 cm. Width 62 cm..