16th century sculpture in Austria

While we have a relatively satisfactory corpus of work on the Austrian Gothic and Baroque, it is a sad fact that Renaissance sculpture is only scarcely documentet, and this mainly for a lack of knowledge as concerns relevant pieces.So thorough research in this field is a desideratum both urgent and of long standing, and will have to be pioneer work in large parts.One reason for the lack of global documentation of the 16th century in Austria in general and particularly in the field of sculpture,may be the inhomogeneity, that century shows in its varied and partly overlapping artistic currents.The foremost goal will thus be a survey of the relevant material, which will have to be analysed and caregorised in terms of types, ikonography and style but also with an eye on artistic influence and patrons. The result will be a clear view of 16th century sculpture in Austria and a major contribution to systematic research in Austrian history of art.

This research project on 16th -century Austrian sculpture constitutes a key piece within the mosaic of Austrian history of art. Now is the first time that a general view of the material has been rendered possible, thus opening the path for further meaningful research in this field. Works of art of high quality hitherto unknown have been discovered, allowing as a consequence the attribution and classification of other works with authority, which had not been possible before. Taking stock has gone hand in hand with a stylistic analysis of the items showing among other things the various sources of influence, and here above all Italian, Netherlandish, and Southern German traditions. This has made it possible to see 16th century Austrian sculpture within the European context while simultaneously highlighting its individual characteristics. Equally important to questions of style have been those of iconography, commissioning, material and function. Further findings have revealed that the political and clerical situation of that time (tensions between territorial magnates and gentry, Reformation and Counter-reformation) found its expression in the sculpture, so that beyond any art-historical impact results are also of great importance for cultural history. With a constant eye on its complexity and heterogeneity, the unique features and characteristics of the material have been fully appreciated and connections to artistic backgrounds and particular artists have been established. This has helped to significantly enrich the understanding of renaissance sculpture in Austria and contributed essential results to ongoing research . The findings of this research project are due to be published in a book.