17th century, German School,

German School, 17th century

Couple of Apostles

boxwood, cm h. 14

Carved wooden sculptures depicting a pair of Apostles made by a German manufacture from the 17th century. Both are presented standing and mirroring each other, caught in a dynamic pose, resting the weight respectively one on the right leg, the other on the left, while the opposite ones are slightly advanced, in order to create a kind of anchement (curvature) which causes the bodies to assume a spiral shape. The two Apostles, depicted with one mutilated raised arm and the other holding a Sacred Text, seem to want to communicate not only with the word, but also with the gestures of their body.

Noteworthy is the attention paid by the artist in the realization not only of the physiognomic features of the faces, but especially in the rendering of the draperies, which give three-dimensionality and substance to the two characters, while keeping their dynamism intact: even in their apparent heaviness the garments seem to fluctuate following the pace of the Apostles.