Southern German, early 16th century

Sotheby's New York, 29 January 1999, lot 28;

Where acquired.

This large, multi-figure relief of Christ and the Apostles at the Last Supper would once have been incorporated into an elaborate altarpiece. The scene is enlivened by engaging details, such as the figures' diverse gestures, and the realistically carved beakers and stools. Compositionally, the scene is reminiscent of the central Last Supper scene from Tilman Riemenschneider's Holy Blood Altar in Rothenburg ob der Tauber (circa 1500-1505). A stylistic comparison for the somewhat robust style of carving is found in a limewood relief with the Death of the Virgin in the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest (inv. no. 76.5).