Lot 14

Ignác František Platzer (1717 - 1787) SAINT JOHN OF NEPOMUK

his exceptional sculpture by Ignác František Platzer depicts the most famous Czech saint, John of Nepomuk. The statue belongs to Platzer's collection of sculptures of this saint, the most famous of which is a wooden version commissioned by Abbot Hieronymus Ambros for the Premonstratensian monastery in Teplá, now on loan to the National Gallery in Prague. The stone statue from the 1750s is based on a sketch by František Ignác Platzer, in which it appears in the form of a bozzetta (a small preparatory wooden sculpture). He is dressed in traditional canon's robes, wearing a biretta on his head (in other versions, it is often found on his left hand), looking at the cross, which he embraces with his right hand and holds with his left. The sculpture on offer is characterized by sophisticated clothing, which is detailed down to the smallest detail, and masterful execution of anatomy. Ignác František Platzer, the last great figure of Baroque sculpture, trained at the Vienna Academy and came to Prague in the fall of 1744, where he established a large workshop that supplied entire sets of woodcarving and stone carving decorations for churches, monasteries, castles, and castle gardens throughout Bohemia for more than 150 years. Platzer's work is characterized by physical sensuality and fullness of form. He succeeded in uniquely combining the domestic High Baroque tradition with Viennese Classicism. The work is accompanied by a document proving its origin dating back to 1937. The statue was subject to a restitution claim, which was asserted in 1993. The work was returned from the District Museum in Příbram, where it was registered under number UP 30 and ref. no. 7798. Very good condition.