Comments on: Tilman Riemenschneider

Tilman Riemenschneider

thomas j wise — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 22:09:01 -0800

Tilman Riemenschneider (1460-1531) was one of the great late medieval sculptors. Riemenschneider worked in both wood and stone, although his specialty was limewood sculpture. (Not surprisingly, he had imitators.) His greatest achievements, however, are his exquisitely carved and spectacular altars, of which the most famous is the Altar of the Holy Blood (Heilig-Blut-Altar).

For comparative purposes, see some of Riemenschneider's contemporaries, such as Niclaus Gerhaert von Leiden and Veit Stoss (especially the High Altar of St. Mary).

By: jouke

jouke — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 22:47:30 -0800

Another altar that I remember from the altar rich holidays of my youth: the 9 altars in the St. Nicolai church in Kalkar. Go visit Rothenburg ob der Tauber when you're in the neighbourhood. It's a cute intact medieval town and carvings like this should really be viewed in their 3d reality.

By: bonobothegreat

bonobothegreat — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 22:59:08 -0800

Thank-you thomas j wise. I'd love to get a good book of this stuff and would love to hear any recommendations.

By: thomas j wise

thomas j wise — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 23:19:44 -0800

I'd love to get a good book of this stuff and would love to hear any recommendations. You might try Michael Baxandall.

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 04:34:55 -0800

Lovely. I'm lucky enough to have seen some of Riemenschneider's carvings, and his name has been stuck in a corner of my head ever since. Thanks for this, thomas j wise!

By: Kinbote

Kinbote — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 05:01:56 -0800

Go visit Rothenburg ob der Tauber when you're in the neighbourhood. Avoid the Museum of Crime and Punishment (aka the Torture Museum) if you have a weak stomach. The Riemenschneiders are amazing. It's hard to do them justice in photographs.

By: Capybara

Capybara — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 05:31:36 -0800

Riemenschneider's just gorgeous, thanks. Yes, Baxandall's book is fantastic (and he's just about my favorite art historian). He covers the whole set of mental habits that people would have 'read' sculpture like this with, suggesting, among other things, that they used a similar vocabulary to talk about carving as they did calligraphy. Interesting to remember that carved altars were at one point in Europe the classy ones (not just in Germany) and painted panels were initially a way to go cheap, or for protective wings/shutters and the like. Before things went upside down in Flanders.

By: stbalbach

stbalbach — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 05:36:31 -0800

Niclaus Gerhaert was probably the most influential of the northern 15th century sculptors. Besides Tilman Riemenschneider and Veit Stoss he also influenced Erasmus Grasser, famous for his series of 10 animated Morris Dancers (click on icons to enlarge).

By: BundleOfHers

BundleOfHers — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 10:28:21 -0800

nthing the Baxandall-- it's a lovely book. Thanks for this-- Riemenschneider is a favorite of mine.

By: IndigoJones

IndigoJones — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 17:28:56 -0800

See also the cloisters in NYC if that's closer than Germany.