Painting and Sculpture

Paintings and sculptures are among the highlights of the museum’s collection.

The collection includes panel paintings such as Hans Memling’s Advent of Christ (approx.1480) or the family portrait by Art Nouveau master Hans Christiansen. Some of the finest painting can also be found on Italian majolica and on glass and porcelain, which served as a template for creating furniture inlays, embroidery or tapestries.

The sculptures from the late Middle Ages mainly referred to religious or liturgical subjects. The Virgin Mary with Child (1495) by Tilman Riemenschneider is the most important and prominent example. Since the Renaissance, small sculptures have been coveted treasures in the art chambers, studies and in the hands of (often aristocratic) collectors and enthusiasts. These popular objects for presentation, worship and study were especially created in small formats by renowned artists such as Giambologna, Conrad Meit, Lucas Faydherbe, Paul Egel and Balthasar Permoser, using various materials such as bronze, ivory or wood.

From the Renaissance, reliefs in various media have also been gaining great importance, for example those in tin. Since the 18th century, modelled sculptures, often enriched with colour, have also played an important role in porcelain and stoneware, with designs by artists ranging from Johann Joachim Kändler to Paul Scheurich.