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figure, religious

human history
  • Description

    Medieval church carving, figure of [Saint Nicholas]

  • Place
    Europe
  • Accession Number
    1931.214
  • Accession Date
    1959
  • Other Id

    1995x1.485 (temporary number)

    16297 (ethnology)

  • Department

    Applied Arts and Design

figure, religious

Images and documents

Images

  • figure, religious

Artefact

  • Credit Line
    Gift of Moss Davis, 1931, Collection of Auckland Museum Tamaki Paenga Hira, 16297
  • Public Access Text

    This carved figure was a decorative feature of the Ypres Cloth Hall, built during the first hundred years of the thirteenth century. Ypres was a significant trading centre; in particular it was a major centre for the cloth trade.

    The sculpture has a flat, plain back, indicating that it would have been attached to a wall or column. The figure represents a bishop wearing liturgical vestments, the mitre and cope.

    At the base of the figure the remnants of one, possibly two figures can be seen, sitting atop a vessel of some kind, perhaps representing a chest for storing or transporting cloth, in reference to the Guild.

    The city of Ypres including the magnificent Cloth Hall was destroyed during the First World War, when this figure was salvaged and brought home by returning serviceman Captain NRW Thomas.

  • Primary Maker

     unknown (Sculptor)

  • Place
    Europe
  • Date
    12th Century-13th Century
  • Period

    Middle Ages/European and British/art and design period

  • Media

    stone/rock/inorganic material

  • Classification

    Figurine

    Statue

    Sculpture

    Art

    08 Communication Artifacts

  • Last Update
    02 Feb 2023
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