ICONOGRAPHIC STUDIES OF THE BAS-RELIEFS AND IVORIES BY PAUL EGELL

The Palatine court sculptor Paul Egell (1691 – 1752) was one of the outstanding artists of Southern German Rococo. Due to his fine carvings and use of precious materials, such as ivory or gilded lime wood, especially his small size bas-reliefs have always been highly estimated. Scholars as Adolf Feulner or Theodor Demmler first commented on the aesthetic values of these in the 1920s and 1930s and much research has been done since. Yet, it is a critique of style that is prevailing within the discussion of this works. Along with other questions it has not been mentioned that the iconography of his bas-reliefs is rooted within the tradition of the late medieval passion images. Therefore this essay sets its focus on Egell’s reception and development of new iconographic patterns based on medieval passion images.