A Bishop Saint (Burchard of Würzburg?)

Burchard, the English-born first bishop of Würzburg, Germany, died in 754. In this imaginary portrait, he raises his right hand in blessing. His left hand once held a curving crozier. The figure's facial type occurs repeatedly in the wood and stone sculptures of this famous German master: prominent nose and cheekbones, strong chin, long, sunken cheeks, and finely outlined, downturned mouth and eyes, suggesting a mood of slightly sorrowful contemplation. In this careworn, sensitive face, Riemenschneider explored the psychology of a man on whom spiritual authority seems to weigh heavily.

Hollowed out to make it light, the bust may once have been carried in religious processions. It has experienced some alterations since it was carved; the square, diamond-shaped cut on the chest was certainly made well after the sculpture was finished, possibly in order to fill the recess with relics.

Tiny traces of original coloring, removed long ago, may be noticed, for instance on the cope (mantle), where bits of blue and yellow remain. Although this particular bust was polychromed, Riemenschneider was a pioneer in the use of bare, unpainted wood for the sculpture on his major altarpieces. The black rings around the pupils, however, so important to the dreamy expression of the eyes, are typical of Riemenschneider's figures.