Nuremberg and its art to the end of the 18th century. . olework, a bevy of joyousputti who cannot mode-rate their youthful exube-rance and indulge in thewildest pranks. Sometimesthey are in direct connec-tion with the scheme ofornament, sometimes they tumble about, just wherever Fig. 57. Figure bearing a candelabrum, on the Shrine of St. can find room, on the Photograph by M. Eberlein. bases, top, arches, canopies and capitals. Instead of playing on their musical instruments they are up toall sorts of mischief with them, they listen to birds singing, wrestle with puppies,and even d
Nuremberg and its art to the end of the 18th century. . olework, a bevy of joyousputti who cannot mode-rate their youthful exube-rance and indulge in thewildest pranks. Sometimesthey are in direct connec-tion with the scheme ofornament, sometimes they tumble about, just wherever Fig. 57. Figure bearing a candelabrum, on the Shrine of St. can find room, on the Photograph by M. Eberlein. bases, top, arches, canopies and capitals. Instead of playing on their musical instruments they are up toall sorts of mischief with them, they listen to birds singing, wrestle with puppies,and even dare to tease lions lying at rest. The youthful, joyous and naturalfeeling of the Renaissance speaks to us most directly in these little figures,which are particularly fresh and bright in design and generally quite sketchyin treatment. The four candelabra projecting from the corners are exceptionallyfine in execution, and treat, in an entirely new, individual way, a conceptionthat recurs frequently in Romanesque decorative works of this class, viz. the. 92 THE SHRINE OF ST. SEBALD. fight between Light and Darkness. In the motives of the woman, with angelswings and animals legs, and a snake (fig. 57), this conception receives clearexpression. With deceitful movement, sin comes in the form of the snake; itis viewed with pleasure and the beautiful female gracefully turns her head, asit glides up her back. Then she looks into the serpents eye, recognises evil, and terrified, throws from herthe monster, which has nowtaken the form of a wingeddragon. The life-size mouse,cowering on tjie left of thefigure of Zeus already men-tioned, is a fine and quiteartistic motive. The purelyornamental features vie withthe figure-decoration in givingto the work its bright beautyand its poetic worth. Nofeature is repeated, but everybase, every knop and everycapital has its own individualform. The manifold varietyof beautiful forms in the co-lumns merits admiration, andthe capitals, masterly in theirc
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublishernew, booksubjectart
