s The Resurrection of Christ - Hull Museums Collections

The Resurrection of Christ

The Resurrection of Christ, c.1450 English School (possibly York) This work typifies the so-called Nottingham Alabasters that were produced in workshops in the Midlands from about 1350-1550. It could possibly be a York-made piece. Alabaster is soft and easy to carve and polish. Nottinghamshire provided the main market for alabaster while notable centres of carving grew in Lincoln and York. In the Gospels, alabaster holds status for its associations with Christian themes - the vessels that held Christ's mourners' tears were of alabaster. Here, Christ is shown holding the banner of the Resurrection and stepping out of an open sepulchre. The soldiers, from the Gospel of Matthew, appear awakened and dazzled. The bright colours, crowded composition, costume detail (the pointed shoes), and the anecdotal narrative compare closely with other works dated to the mid-15th century. The production of retables, decorated panels at the back of altars, of which this was once a part, was the most notable use of alabaster in England. These share common features; a stiff, staged composition with attenuated figures with elongated hands and feet, and frequently a painted and gilded surface. Nottingham alabasters represent the largest single source of English sculpture to have survived from the Middle Ages. Alabaster, with traces of polychrome & gilt. Purchased in 1999 with the aid of the National Art Collections Fund and the Friends of the Ferens Art Gallery