4 - German School. Swabia. Late Gothic. Late 14th century.

German School. Swabia. Late Gothic. Late 14th century. 'Saint' Carved, gilded, and polychromed wooden sculpture. 85.5 x 24 x 13 cm. A magnificent example of German Gothic sculpture. Saint Nicholas of Bari, Bishop of Myra, Anatolia. Although the image belongs to the Byzantine artistic tradition, the cult of Saint Nicholas became widespread in the West following the transfer of his relics to Bari in 1087, turning his tomb into an important place of pilgrimage. Our sculpture depicts the saint, as is customary, dressed as a bishop, wearing a miter and holding a crozier, in one of his traditional iconographic representations. Iconographically, he usually holds a liturgical book in either his right or left hand, upon which appear three gold coins, three golden apples, three small bags, or three stones. This attribute stems from one of his most famous miracles: a neighbor of the saint had fallen into abject poverty and, unable to provide dowries for his three daughters, planned to force them into prostitution to survive. Secretly, under cover of night, Saint Nicholas threw bags of gold through the window of the house, thereby saving the virtue and future of the three young women. Over time, artistic representations of this episode depicted the gold in various forms, including bags, coins, fruit, or stones.