Notes on some English Alabaster Carvings in Germany

Abstract

The following account of some unusual examples of English alabasters in German museums, together with short references to others in Germany, is intended to serve as a basis for a complete list of such carvings preserved in that country. The desirability of such a list is indicated by the importance, for the study of the history of the alabaster industry in England, of certain examples, seemingly of comparatively early dates, still (or until lately) in German churches, and by the number of products of that industry now in German museums. When Braun wrote, in 1910, he believed that Germany was poor in English alabasters, because her native art of wood-sculpture was in full flower during the period when they were made, so that she had no need to import relief-carvings. Furthermore, he thought that probably most of the examples at that time in Germany had been brought there by dealers in antiquities. The list given below, although only preliminary in character, suggests that his opinions in these respects were not well founded. It records various pieces, carved, presumably, at the period when English alabasters were being made for export, which are still in the districts or situations for which they might well have been ordered. There seems, therefore, no reason to think that any of the examples now in German museums are recent importations.