105 - In the style of Michel ERHART (1440–1522), 19th century

In the style of Michel ERHART (1440–1522), 19th century Annunciation carved from walnut, part of an altarpiece. Kneeling before a lectern, Mary appears to be engrossed in reading an open book; her hands crossed over her chest, one finger holding the edge of her cloak. She has a beautiful face with a melancholic expression; her hairstyle consists of long, wavy locks of hair falling over her shoulders and down her back. The angel stands on the other side of the lectern; he wears a hairstyle with wavy, voluminous locks whose ends are curled. A corner of his cloak is lifted. A beautiful pattern of broken, highly structured folds. A vase with a lily is placed on the side of the lectern. H 24 x W 31 x D 16 cm Minor losses This altarpiece element bears the hallmarks of the transition from the Gothic era to the German Renaissance. The developed folds of the drapery still resemble late Gothic stylization, but the sentimentality of the scene is fully embodied by the figures’ profound and melancholic expressions. The style of this bas-relief is comparable to works by the German sculptor Michel Erhart, who worked in Ulm in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The treatment of the hair is comparable to that of the busts of a young man and a young woman held at the Victoria and Albert Museum (inv. nos. 6694-1860 and 6995-1860), as well as to the Saint John of Calvary in the Dominican church of Wimpfen am Berg (fig. 69). Expert opinion by Mr. Benoît Bertrand