|
This limewood "Pietà" which came to the Magyar Nemzeti Galéria from the environs of Szombathely, unites two sculptural traditions on high artistic level. The dead body of Christ lies almost horizontally on his mother's knees, his breast bulges, and his right arm falls down perpandicularly. This pattern is also followed by the simple, block-life statues of the folk monuments and Pietà columns in the environs of Sopron and Felsőőr (Oberwart) which appeared in the 16th and 17th centuries, as well as their 18th century descentants. The excellent master of Pietà exhibited here united their type with a composition of The Mourning of Christ elaborated by leading Viennese sculptors.
The closest relative of this statue is a sandstone "Pietà" on the high altar of Pinkafő's (Pinkafeld) church of the Cross, consecrated in 1748, which is attributed, on the basis of an old inscription, to Matthias Steinl (1644-1727). The Pinkafő statue, which is on the same level as the Szombathely Pietà, stands close to the sculptural group "The Mourning of Christ" in Vienna's Capuchin Crypt. This latter work, on the other hand, is related to the activity of courtly artists, in particular to the Strudel brothers. Their style can also be found, together with local traditions, in this concise Pietà painted with vivid colours and probably destined for open-air location.
|
