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DOI article:Leibetseder, Stefanie: Iconographic studies of bas-reliefs and ivories by Paul Egell
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.52949#0045
ŠTÚDIE / ARTICLES
ARS 46, 2013, 1
Iconographie Studies of Bas-reliefs
and Ivories by Paul Egell1
Stefanie LEIBETSEDER
Introduction
Paul Egell (1691 -1752) collaborated around the
year 1717 with Balthasar Permoser in Dresden at the
time of the Zwinger décorations. From the year 1720
he worked at the Palatine court in Mannheim. Dür-
ing this time he produced bas-reliefs from ivory and
lime wood which stand out among his sculptures due
to their sophisticated mastery of their material. The
discussion of Egell’s reliefs and œuvres began after
the First World War, when the movement of the Ger-
man expressionism furthered the interest of German
art historians in the expression inherent to sculptural
Works of the Baroque and Rococo. Outstanding
scholars like Adolf Feulner2 and Theodor Demmler
first commented upon the aesthetic values of Egell’s
reliefs as stated by Demmler (1922): “... the asymmetric
composition in triangular shape that is emphasiyed by heavy
relief in the lowerpart dies away as a delicate echo at the top,
the use of empty surfaces... the harmonie connection and the
amalgamation of ail motives into an impression of the whole
punches in a flash?’3 Although much research on Egell
has been doně since the 1960s and Klaus Lankheit
published a catalogue raisonné of Egell’s œuvres
in 1988, including a survey of archivai sources,
it is yet a critique of style that is prevailing within
the discussion of Egell’s works.4 Along with many
other questions, their iconography still needs to be
analyzed in depth. There are three bas-reliefs of small
size: an Ecce Homo [Fig. 1] from the year of 1725, a
Eamentation scene from 1723 — 1725 [Fig. 2] and a
Déposition from the Cross5 [Fig. 3] from the year 1744.
The Historie Development
of Passion Images
Egell’s bas-reliefs of the Ecce Home and the Eam-
entation of Chrisfrooúv originate around the middle of
1 I would like to thank Donna Krause for her support with the
révision of the essay. Mathis Leibetseder has been my first
and most thoughtful reader.
2 FEULNER, A.: Skulptur und Malerei des 18. Jahrhunderts in
Deutschland (=Handbuch der Kunstwissenschaft, 16). Pots-
dam-Wildpark 1929, p. 99.
3 “... die asymmetrische Dreieckskomposition, die unten in starkem Relief
betont wird, oben in garten Nach klang verhallt, die Benutzung der freien
Flächen, das Mitschwingen der ganzen Körper in der Erregung, die
harmonische Verknüpfung und Verschmelzung aller Motive zu einem
Gesamteindruck, der sich blitzartig einprägtP — DEMMLER, T.:
Der Bildhauer Paul Egell in Mannheim (1691 - 1752). In:
Jahrbuch derpreußischen Museen. Berlin 1922, p. 160. Still works
are ascribed to Egell due to their high artistic quality, for
instance the Memento Mori Head on the front cover of an
issue of the Weltkunst in 2002 (Weltkunst, 72, 2002, No. 2).
KAMMEL, F. M.: Dem Tod ins Auge geschaut. Vergänglich-
keit als Thema barocker Bildwerke. In: Memento Mori. Ed. G.
LAUE. München 2002, p. 14.
4 LANKHEIT, K.: Derkurpfälfrsche HojbildhauerPaulEgell(1691
— 1752). 2 vols. München 1988.
5 Die Bildwerke der Fürstlich Hohenzpllernschen Sammlung Sigmaringen.
Ed. H. SPRINZ. Stuttgart - Zürich 1925, pl. 66; BÜCKLING,
M.: Gastspiel. Das Bodemuseum Berlin im Liebighaus Frankfurt. Euro-
päische Bildhauerkunst von 800 bis 1800. Eine Kooperation des Itiebig-
hauses — Museum Alter Plastik mit den Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin,
Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Skulpturensammlung und Museum Jur Byzan-
tinische Kunst. Eds. H. BECK et al. Frankfurt a. M. 2000, p. 146.
43
ARS 46, 2013, 1
Iconographie Studies of Bas-reliefs
and Ivories by Paul Egell1
Stefanie LEIBETSEDER
Introduction
Paul Egell (1691 -1752) collaborated around the
year 1717 with Balthasar Permoser in Dresden at the
time of the Zwinger décorations. From the year 1720
he worked at the Palatine court in Mannheim. Dür-
ing this time he produced bas-reliefs from ivory and
lime wood which stand out among his sculptures due
to their sophisticated mastery of their material. The
discussion of Egell’s reliefs and œuvres began after
the First World War, when the movement of the Ger-
man expressionism furthered the interest of German
art historians in the expression inherent to sculptural
Works of the Baroque and Rococo. Outstanding
scholars like Adolf Feulner2 and Theodor Demmler
first commented upon the aesthetic values of Egell’s
reliefs as stated by Demmler (1922): “... the asymmetric
composition in triangular shape that is emphasiyed by heavy
relief in the lowerpart dies away as a delicate echo at the top,
the use of empty surfaces... the harmonie connection and the
amalgamation of ail motives into an impression of the whole
punches in a flash?’3 Although much research on Egell
has been doně since the 1960s and Klaus Lankheit
published a catalogue raisonné of Egell’s œuvres
in 1988, including a survey of archivai sources,
it is yet a critique of style that is prevailing within
the discussion of Egell’s works.4 Along with many
other questions, their iconography still needs to be
analyzed in depth. There are three bas-reliefs of small
size: an Ecce Homo [Fig. 1] from the year of 1725, a
Eamentation scene from 1723 — 1725 [Fig. 2] and a
Déposition from the Cross5 [Fig. 3] from the year 1744.
The Historie Development
of Passion Images
Egell’s bas-reliefs of the Ecce Home and the Eam-
entation of Chrisfrooúv originate around the middle of
1 I would like to thank Donna Krause for her support with the
révision of the essay. Mathis Leibetseder has been my first
and most thoughtful reader.
2 FEULNER, A.: Skulptur und Malerei des 18. Jahrhunderts in
Deutschland (=Handbuch der Kunstwissenschaft, 16). Pots-
dam-Wildpark 1929, p. 99.
3 “... die asymmetrische Dreieckskomposition, die unten in starkem Relief
betont wird, oben in garten Nach klang verhallt, die Benutzung der freien
Flächen, das Mitschwingen der ganzen Körper in der Erregung, die
harmonische Verknüpfung und Verschmelzung aller Motive zu einem
Gesamteindruck, der sich blitzartig einprägtP — DEMMLER, T.:
Der Bildhauer Paul Egell in Mannheim (1691 - 1752). In:
Jahrbuch derpreußischen Museen. Berlin 1922, p. 160. Still works
are ascribed to Egell due to their high artistic quality, for
instance the Memento Mori Head on the front cover of an
issue of the Weltkunst in 2002 (Weltkunst, 72, 2002, No. 2).
KAMMEL, F. M.: Dem Tod ins Auge geschaut. Vergänglich-
keit als Thema barocker Bildwerke. In: Memento Mori. Ed. G.
LAUE. München 2002, p. 14.
4 LANKHEIT, K.: Derkurpfälfrsche HojbildhauerPaulEgell(1691
— 1752). 2 vols. München 1988.
5 Die Bildwerke der Fürstlich Hohenzpllernschen Sammlung Sigmaringen.
Ed. H. SPRINZ. Stuttgart - Zürich 1925, pl. 66; BÜCKLING,
M.: Gastspiel. Das Bodemuseum Berlin im Liebighaus Frankfurt. Euro-
päische Bildhauerkunst von 800 bis 1800. Eine Kooperation des Itiebig-
hauses — Museum Alter Plastik mit den Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin,
Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Skulpturensammlung und Museum Jur Byzan-
tinische Kunst. Eds. H. BECK et al. Frankfurt a. M. 2000, p. 146.
43