Museum-quality sculpture of a standing Saint Ursula, Westphalia/Cologne, Around 1325/30

Museum-quality sculpture of a standing Saint Ursula

Westphalia/Cologne

Around 1325/30

Carved walnut

Original rock crystal brooch with gilded copper mount attached to the chest

Hollowed and painted on the back (remains of the metal mount for the reliquary)

Height 73 cm

Provenance: Georg Hartmann Collection, Frankfurt am Main No. 29 (label on the reverse)



This masterly sculpture of a standing saint is executed in the typical Cologne style of the early 14. century and contains fragmentary remains of polychromy. The elegant, verticalised form is emphasised by a high forehead as a typical medieval ideal of beauty, a high waist and an elongated lower body. The symmetrically conceived, detailed crested hairstyle frames the idealised, timeless face of the saint. The thin ridges of her eyebrows, the lowered eyelids with almond-shaped eyes and her mouth, contorted into a slight smile, convey both a de-timed distance of the figure as well as an aspect of immediacy and closeness for the intercessor.



Stylistically, the figure displays diagonal, doughy bowl folds that are voluminously puffed at the hip and then take up the ponderous stance of the female figure in two sweeping, tapering folds. The left supporting leg, although hidden by the garment, is emphasised by the fabric gathered at the hip and falling vertically. Underneath the heavy dress, which falls onto the plinth in deep sloping folds, the saint's shoe tips are peeking out, creating a playfully realistic moment. This figure could be, among others, either the Virgin Mary or other female saints such as St. Ursula.



Particularly noteworthy is the rock crystal brooch attached to the chest, which is still present in its original gilded copper setting. Typically, the robes of medieval figures were set with semi-precious stones in order to emphasise the divinity of the depicted saint through precious jewellery. The “Mother of God with the Rock Crystal” from Cologne around 1230 with a polychromy from the beginning of the 14. century can be seen as a comparative example (Museum Schnuetgen, inv. no. A 14). Already in the Middle Ages, a high status can be attributed to rock crystal, as it manifested the divine and was supposed to have an apotropaic, evil-preventing function. However, the pure, transparent materiality can also be interpreted as being related to the immaculate conception. This material is therefore often used as a decorative element on reliquaries.



The figure is hollowed and painted on the back, including remains of a metal mount. This reveals the original function of the sculpture as a reliquary. In the Cologne area, this function is likely connected to the popular cult of St. Ursula and the so-called Ursula busts, which were carved from walnut or oak from 1300 to 1450 and used as reliquaries for bones.