Plinth

Unknown Sculptor, Casting Workshop of the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum (cast maker)

Artist: Unknown Sculptor

Casting Workshop of the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum
(cast maker)
Berlin, 20. század első fele
Dated: ca. 1280-1300 (original), 1909 (cast)
Classification: sculpture, plaster cast
Medium: plaster cast
Dimensions: 38.5 × 48 × 25 cm, 5 kg
Inv.no.: Rg.24
Department: Sculptures - Plaster casts
Current Location of the Original Artwork: France, Strasbourg, Cathedral
Location: National Museum Conservation and Storage Centre (Budapest), Building A, Ground Floor. European Architectural Sculpture. Selection from the Cast Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts. Visible Storage

The construction of the main façade of Strasbourg Cathedral began in 1275. The jamb figures of the south lateral portal, following Parisian Gothic examples, depict the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins (Matthew 25: 1–13), warning the faithful to be prudent and to practice vigilance for the Second Coming of Christ. The foolish virgins, on the left side of the portal, are holding lamps pointed down, as they had not brought enough oil to keep them burning until the arrival of the bridegroom. The plinths below the portal sculptures are decorated with carvings depicting the months and the signs of the zodiac. Commissioned by the museum in 1909, the cast was made in the casting workshop of the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum, Berlin. It was exhibited in the Romanesque Hall in 1910.