KERN, Leonhard
(b. 1588, Forchtenberg, d. 1662, Schwäbisch Hall)

Diana

c. 1650
Boxwood, height 23 cm
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

In the 17th century there was a late Gothic survival in Germany, in the altars of carved wood, lavishly overdecorated, and in the taste, so common among German sculptors for small-scale works in wood, ivory, boxwood, coconutwood and coral. This aspect of German art produced some masterpieces; some of the most famous artists, among them Leonhard Kern, did not scorn these unusual materials.