Corpus from a Crucifix ca. 1755 Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory While Franz Anton Bustelli (Swiss, d. 1763) is best known for the commedia dell’arte figures he produced at the Nymphenburg factory (see ), he modeled a very small number of religious figures that are considered his finest and most sophisticated sculptural works. These figures of the crucified Christ, the Mourning Virgin, Saint John, and the Mater Dolorosa are all the more remarkable for being among the earliest works that he made at Nymphenburg. The skill and expressiveness with which they are modeled suggest Bustel

Corpus from a Crucifix ca. 1755 Nymphenburg Porcelain Manufactory While Franz Anton Bustelli (Swiss, d. 1763) is best known for the commedia dell’arte figures he produced at the Nymphenburg factory (see ), he modeled a very small number of religious figures that are considered his finest and most sophisticated sculptural works. These figures of the crucified Christ, the Mourning Virgin, Saint John, and the Mater Dolorosa are all the more remarkable for being among the earliest works that he made at Nymphenburg. The skill and expressiveness with which they are modeled suggest Bustelli was an experienced sculptor when he arrived at the factory in 1754, although nothing is known of his career prior to that point. It has been suggested by Peter Volk that Bustelli may have trained with the Munich sculptor Johann Baptist Straub (German, 1704–1784),[1] but no evidence has come to light that confirms this plausible figure of the crucified Christ, often referred to as a Corpus figure, was modeled by Bustelli in 1755.[2] Bustelli’s figure of the crucified Christ not only is depicted with unusual detail and realism but exhibits a pronounced and graceful attenuation that accentuates its expressiveness. The musculature is clearly delineated, the veins protrude, and the fingers and toes are closely observed. Christ’s face, with its heavy-lidded but sightless eyes and open mouth, is the emotional focus of the composition, and the prominent and realistic crown of thorns heightens the impact of the imagery. The sense of stillness conveyed by the limp, hanging body is contrasted with the animation of the drapery around Christ’s loins. The complex folds and the design of the billowing lower section suggest that Bustelli may have had experience specifically in sculpting wood before joining the Nymphenburg factory.[3]The Corpus would have been mounted on a cross almost certainly made of wood, and the figure would have been attached through the holes

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