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Monumental Baroque Wood Relief “Moses Striking the Rock” Germany/Austria, c.1700

A monumental hand-carved Baroque relief depicting the Old Testament scene of Moses Striking the Rock at Horeb. Standing upon a crag, Moses raises his staff as water miraculously flows from the stone to sustain the Israelites. Surrounding figures gather in urgency and relief: a priestly elder, women and children, and a kneeling mother offering water to an infant beside a vessel placed to collect the spring. The subject held strong theological meaning in the Counter-Reformation period, understood as a prefiguration of baptism and divine providence. Carved in high relief from solid lindenwood (limewood), the panel displays the sculptural qualities associated with Central European late Baroque devotional work — deeply undercut drapery, expressive individualized faces, and a dynamic diagonal composition. Tool marks remain visible in the background field, while the figures project boldly from the surface, giving the work notable depth and shadow. The reverse shows multi-board construction with original horizontal battens and an early forged iron hanging ring, indicating architectural installation rather than later decorative carving.

Large narrative reliefs of this type were typically installed in monastery refectories, cloister corridors, or chapel interiors as visual religious instruction. Following the secularization of church properties in southern Germany and Austria in the early 19th century, many ecclesiastical architectural elements entered private hands. The panel retains a historic darkened surface from centuries of oxidation and wax polishing. Minor age-related cupping and gentle bowing to the boards consistent with seasonal wood movement; structurally stable and suitable for wall installation.

Notably, Moses is depicted with small horns, a traditional iconographic feature in Western religious art derived from the Latin Vulgate translation of Exodus describing his radiant face. This detail appears frequently in medieval and Baroque sculpture and supports an early ecclesiastical origin.

Construction Notes The reverse reveals multi-board oak construction with original horizontal battens and an early forged iron hanging ring. The back surface shows long-term oxidation and natural shrinkage consistent with architectural installation in an unheated interior. Tooling and joinery are entirely hand executed and show no machine planing. These structural characteristics support a late 17th to early 18th century Central European origin rather than a later revival carving.

$24,000

Date

Late 1600's early 1700's

Period

Early 18th Century

Country

Germany

Materials

Wood

Dimensions

Height: 75.75 in (192.41 cm), Width: 37.6 in (95.51 cm), Depth: 1.4 in (3.56 cm)

Condition

Good, Good antique condition with expected surface wear and historic patina. Minor age-related cupping and gentle bowing to the boards; structurally stable. Original rear battens intact and no evidence of active insect damage.

Quantity

1