Hans Witten was active in Saxony 1485-1525.
He was commissioned to construct a pulpit in Freiberg Cathedral.
This he did from 1508-1510. The result is the limestone "Tulip Pulpit".
Like a giant flower, its great stem seems to emerge from the ground before sprouting into a Eucharist chalice-like bloom.
Small angels play amid its tendrils, and busts of the Latin Church Fathers (Ambrose, Augustine, Gregory and Jerome) ornament the basket.
The sounding board above contains half-length figures of the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child, who holds a cluster of grapes, accompanied by symbols of the four evangelists. Lions, alluding to the wisdom of Solomon, guard the steps.
Thick vines, cut to mimic the texture of bark, and, almost hidden, a young man perched on a tree trunk support the stairs.
By the foot of the pulpit sits an older bearded man. Fingering his rosary, he perpetually listens to words preached above, much like the devout who crowd around the pulpit mini contemporary images.
But definitely not for priests who do not have a head for heights !
He was commissioned to construct a pulpit in Freiberg Cathedral.
This he did from 1508-1510. The result is the limestone "Tulip Pulpit".
Like a giant flower, its great stem seems to emerge from the ground before sprouting into a Eucharist chalice-like bloom.
Small angels play amid its tendrils, and busts of the Latin Church Fathers (Ambrose, Augustine, Gregory and Jerome) ornament the basket.
The sounding board above contains half-length figures of the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child, who holds a cluster of grapes, accompanied by symbols of the four evangelists. Lions, alluding to the wisdom of Solomon, guard the steps.
Thick vines, cut to mimic the texture of bark, and, almost hidden, a young man perched on a tree trunk support the stairs.
By the foot of the pulpit sits an older bearded man. Fingering his rosary, he perpetually listens to words preached above, much like the devout who crowd around the pulpit mini contemporary images.
But definitely not for priests who do not have a head for heights !
I've seen this work of art in person; it is truly incredible.
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