Saint Cosmas, Circle of Ignaz Günther

Artwork Overview

Circle of Ignaz Günther, Saint Cosmas
Circle of Ignaz Günther, Saint Cosmas
Circle of Ignaz Günther
Saint Cosmas
circa 1750–1765
Saint Cosmas, circa 1750–1765
Where object was made: Electorate of Bavaria (present-day Germany)
Material/technique: linden wood; gilding; polychromy
Dimensions:
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 172.7 x 86.3 x 42.2 cm
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 68 x 34 x 16 5/8 in
Credit line: Museum purchase
Accession number: 1950.0090
On display: Kress Gallery
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Label texts

Exhibition Label: "Empire of Things," 2013, Kate Meyer The elegantly gesturing figures of Saints Cosmas and Damian likely flanked the central part of a South-German rococo altarpiece. Cosmas and Damian were 3rd century twin brothers. Because the martyr-twins were physicians, they were later venerated by those seeking protection from the plague and adopted as patron saints for members of medical professions. These objects have had curious and fascinating lives. We do not know the original setting of these superb carvings (presumably a Bavarian rococo church), but we can trace them back to the German dealer Julius Böhler, from whom they were acquired shortly before World War I by a family living on Eden Street in Bar Harbor, Maine (as seen in the photograph above). From this estate they passed to Mr. Thorndike, an antiques dealer in Maine, from whom museum director John Maxon acquired them for the University of Kansas in 1950.

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Audio

Didactic – Art Minute
Didactic – Art Minute
I’m David Cateforis with another art minute from the Spencer Museum of Art. Among the most striking sculptures in the Spencer collection are an elegant pair of slender male figures, just under life size, carved of lindenwood and colored white and gold. Wearing turbans and billowing robes, they represent the Christian saints Cosmas and Damian, twin Arabian brothers martyred in the late third century. Cosmas and Damian were physicians who charged nothing for their services; after their deaths they became the patron saints of the healing professions. Artists often showed them carrying objects associated with medicine, such as the ointment jar held by the Spencer’s Saint Damian. These sculptures were made in southern Germany in the second half of the 18th century and originally would have flanked an altar. Their style is typical of southern German Rococo art. A graceful, precious, and intricate style associated with the aristocracy, the rococo permeated both secular and religious art and architecture in Europe for much of the 18th century. The sprightly grace of Cosmas and Damian’s poses, enhanced by the fluid carving and pure white surfaces accented with gold, speak of an era when piety was coupled with a love of riches. From the Spencer Museum of Art, I’m David Cateforis.
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