Location
Germany, Bavaria, Freising
Dioecesan Museum Freising (Diözesanmuseum Freising)
Artwork
The Sculptural Group of St John of Nepomuk and the River Vltava in the Diözesanmuseum Freising
Type
Sculptural group
Dimensions
Height: 96,5 cm, width: 44,0 cm, depth: 29,5 cm
Critical History
The sculptural group of St John of Nepomuk and the river Vltava (ger. Moldau) is attributed to Johann Baptist Straub.1 The river Moldau is shown as an old man with a beard. He is holding the figure of St John who is sitting on a rock. The opening of a vessel can be seen on the left side of Moldau's right thigh. On the right side of the rock, there are long green leaves. There are reasonable doubts that this group may be the original sculpture from the fountain in front of the college of the Jesuit College in Munich, which was removed in 1767 because it was damaged. Maybe it was sculptured for the John of St Nepomuk chapel.2 The presentation is similar to a drawing that belongs to a collection in the Graphic Collection of the Bavarian State, Munich (Inv. Nr. 32210 Z). The drawing shows the initials I. ST. Peter Volks attributed it to J. B. Straub.3
Construction / Execution
The sculpture is carved in wood and has a polychrome surface.
Components
- Sculpture
- Author: Johann Baptist Straub (Wiesensteig ca. 1704 – Munich 1784)
- Completed: 1751 – 1751
- Technique(s): wood carving
- Material(s): wood
- Polychromy
- Completed: 1751 – 1751
Comment
The back side of the sculpture is carved in less detail than the front side.
Images
- The sculptural group of St John of Nepomuk and the River Vltava (Diözesanmuseum Freising, photo by Jens Bruchhaus, 2013)
Catalogue entry prepared by Rupert Karbacher
Recommended citation: Rupert Karbacher, The Sculptural Group of St John of Nepomuk and the River Vltava in the Diözesanmuseum Freising, in: TrArS – Tracing the Art of the Straub Family, 2018, (accessed 25/10/2025) URL
