NUREMBERG MADONNA
we have here not
only: the c/ef-
?’ceuvreof Nurem-
berg carving, but
also one of the
works of art of all
time. And yet the
name of the mas-
ter 1s unknown,
and the very date
of the work is a
matter of dispute.
Clearly the beau-
tiful female figure
of this sorrowing
Mary, this praying
Madonna as ‘she
is called (trautnde,
betende Maria)
once formed one
of a group, and
stood facing St.
John at the foot
of the Cross, gaz-
ing upwards in
that bitter grief
which is beyond
the expression
and abandonment
of tears. Who can
that artist have
[MUSEUM, NURNBERG
18. THE NUREMBERG MADONNA
1 Io