Late Gothic Sculpture of Madonna and Child from the Veit Stoss Circle in the Light of Physico-Chemical Analysis

Abstract

The research subject was a limewood sculpture of Madonna and Child (120 × 55 × 38 cm) from the Dominican Friary in Kraków. The figure was executed in the 1st quarter of the 16th century by a sculptor familiar with works created in Veit Stoss’s workshop in Nuremberg and exhibits the characteristic arrangement of robes typical of this master’s works. Historical research suggests that the figure of the Madonna and Child was originally intended for individual worship, probably suspended freely in the middle of the church. Unfortunately, the sculpture has not survived in its original form to this day, undergoing many transformations. Probably in the 19th century, the function of the sculpture was changed when it was placed on a wooden base as a feretory to be carried in processions. Renovations included several overpaintings to the complexions and re-gilding of the robes together with local alterations of the woodwork. The substantial thickness of the newly applied ground layers and the poor artistic quality of non-original polychrome distorted the late Gothic woodcarving expression. As a result of conservation works, partially preserved complexions and residually preserved polychrome of the robes were revealed. The sculpture was subjected to physico-chemical analyses, thanks to which the secondary and originally used materials were identified. In order to identify the materials originally used, the research campaign was continued upon completion of the conservation treatment. Visual examination using digital radiography and microscopic observation of cross-sections of samples of paint layers allowed to determine the stratigraphy of the object. The cross-sections were examined using scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). Paint layers were analyzed using micro-X-ray fluorescence
spectrometry (XRF). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was employed to identify organic compounds present in the substrate and paint layers. The conservation and research results complemented the current state of knowledge about the sculpture, and early 16th-century workshop practices.