Saint Matthias

An inscription on the border of the cloak identifies this figure as Matthias, who succeeded Judas as the twelfth apostle. The sophistication of the sculptural conception is apparent in the subtle dialogue between quiet and active passages. At first glance, one reads the sculpture as a static form, because of the rooted stance and the long, tubular folds of the robe. But the body is conceived as a series of elements arranged obliquely along a vertical axis: the saint’s left foot defines the first oblique accent, with the shoulders countered in the opposing direction, and the head turned toward the right shoulder. The figure’s deeply undercut mass of hair, the anatomically accurate right hand, and the pensive face are particularly impressive. Tilman Riemenschneider was the leading sculptor in Würzburg in the decades leading to the Reformation.