Harvard Art Museums > BR58.250: God the Father Sculpture Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"God the Father (Unidentified Artist) , BR58.250,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 18, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/223149. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Gallery Text Some of the most precious and finely wrought objects of the Middle Ages were made for use in the liturgical service of the church. Crosses and censers were carried in procession, while reliquaries, caskets, and shrines held the remains of saints or objects associated with them. Because of the sacred function of these objects, they were made of the most valuable materials available: ivory, bronze, enamel, rock crystal, and gold. Through their hallowed contents or their liturgical function, these objects provided access to the divine, yet they were also displays of wealth and craftsmanship. Censers and vessels were cast in bronze, while other objects, such as caskets and reliquaries, were assembled from a wooden core and covered with ivory, enamel, and gilded metal. Often, if such costly materials were out of reach, wood or other modest materials were painted and gilded to resemble them. Identification and Creation Object Number BR58.250 People Unidentified Artist Title God the Father Classification Sculpture Work Type sculpture, relief Date c. 1325-1350 Places Creation Place: Europe, Germany, Upper Rhine Culture German Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/223149 Location Location Level 2, Room 2440, Medieval Art, Medieval Art View this object's location on our interactive map Physical Descriptions Medium Gilded copper Technique Gilding Dimensions sight: 8.1 x 6.3 x 1.5 cm (3 3/16 x 2 1/2 x 9/16 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History Ottmar Strauss, Cologne, sold [through Hugo Helbing, Frankfurt, November 6-8, 1934, lot 99]. [1] [Mathias Komor, New York], sold; to Busch-Reisinger Museum, December 1958 Notes [1] According to an annotated version of the Hugo Helbing sale catalogue the work was sold to “Whilling.” [2] In March 2023, Harvard University reached an agreement with the Ottmar Strauss Heirs allowing the Harvard Art Museums to retain the bronze relief that was sold in Frankfurt in 1934. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Museum purchase Accession Year 1958 Object Number BR58.250 Division European and American Art Contact am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description The embossed relief represents God the Father or possibly Christ. He is seated, raising His right hand in a gesture of blessing, while His left grasps a book that rests on His knee. The halo has incised lines to indicate rays of light. The background is decorated with an incised lozenge pattern, the alternate compartments of which have been punchecd with an allover dot ornament. Much of the gilding has been worn off. That which remains appears to be original. Six small holes on the edge of the relief were used to attach it to its background. The forehead is slightly dented. Publication History Sammlung Geheimrat Ottmar Strauss Köln, auct. cat. (Frankurt, Germany, November 7, 1934), (lot 99) p. 13, pl. 29 Charles L. Kuhn, German and Netherlandish Sculpture, 1280-1800, the Harvard Collections, Harvard University Press (Cambridge, MA, 1965), p. 3, cat. no. 2 p. 44, repr. as pl. V Exhibition History German Sculpture, 1500 - 1960: A New Installation, Busch-Reisinger Museum, Cambridge, 09/05/1984 - 12/31/1984 German Sculpture from the Permanent Collection, Busch-Reisinger Museum, Cambridge, 01/21/1986 - 03/10/1986 32Q: 2440 Medieval, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 11/16/2014 - 06/25/2021; Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 09/18/2023 - 01/01/2050 Subjects and Contexts Google Art Project Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
