Antique Religious Sculpture Of God Christ, Trinity, Throne Of Grace, 15th Century, Carved Wood, Swabian

Throne of Grace/Trinity, Southern Germany, probable Swabian sphere, circa 1480-1520, Carved, polychrome, and gilded linden wood. This sculpture represents with rare intensity one of the great iconographic types of medieval Christian devotion: the Throne of Grace, or Gnadenstuhl, in which God the Father, seated in majesty, presents the crucified Christ to the faithful. All the spiritual power of the image lies in this frontal display of the redemptive sacrifice. Here, the Father does not merely accompany the scene: he himself holds the crossbeam in his hands, literally offering the mystery of the Passion to the viewer. The iconography possesses a striking theological force, for it condenses into a single image divine sovereignty, the suffering of the Son, and the truth of salvation. The composition is striking first and foremost for its hieratic frontality, still profoundly Gothic. God the Father sits on a throne with a curved back, adorned with lavish gilding, its armrests unfurling into stylized foliage that is both vigorous and decorative. Crowned, dressed in a reddish-brown tunic and a dark cloak with broad, flowing folds, he commands a monumental presence. Christ, thinner, suspended before him, forms a poignant contrast through his physical fragility: his narrow body, outstretched arms, bowed head, and the discreetly marked bloody traces on his forehead and side all contribute to an image of abandonment and restrained suffering. The small titulus bearing the inscription INRI is still in place at the top of the cross. At the base of the seat, a winged cherub's head anchors the whole in a celestial register, while admirably serving the composition. The state of preservation is, considering its age, very satisfactory. There is normal wear to the polychromy and gilding, some small losses and rubbing on the raised areas, as well as a small piece of wood missing around the INRI titulus. The crown has several small chips on its finials and points. At the top of the headdress, the old condition suggests the possible disappearance of a small terminal element, perhaps cruciform. Dimensions: 56 cm x 32 cm x 25 cm