A carved oak Saint Roch, Workshop of the Master of Osnabrück, Westphalia, Germany, 1st quarter 16th C.

H.: 59 cm

Condition:
- The upper tip of the wooden staff, just behind the book, reglued.
- Otherwise in good condition with typical superficial wear.
- A piece of woodboard fixed on the base to stabilise the posture.

Provenance:
- Ernst and Agathe Saulmann.
- their forced sale, Weinmüller, Munich, 26-27 June 1936, lot 157.
- Ludwig Roselius, Bremen.
- Roseliushaus, Bremen.
- Restituted to the heirs of Ernst and Agathe Saulmann, 2016
- A Dutch private collection.

Ref.: H. Manske, Der Meister von Osnabrück: Osnabrücker Plastik um 1500, Osnabrück, 1978 

The present Saint Roch relates to the work of the Master of Osnabrück, a Notname referring to a leading sculptor, or several, active in and around the Westphalian city during the early 16th century. The physiognomy and drapery - including the revers fold around the right arm - are directly comparable to a version of the same subject by the so-called Hauptmeister (Manske, op. cit., no. 33, fig. 20). Compare also the group of Apostles attributed to his workshop in the Diözesanmuseum, Osnabrück (ibid., no. 92, figs. 7-10). The imagination of the carver responsible for the present figure is seen particularly in the charming, leonine dog accompanying the Saint.