God the Father
ca. 1770–80
Medium
Pine, painted white
Dimensions
7 ft. 8 in. x 5 ft. 8-1/2 in. (233.5 x 174.5 cm.)
Classification
Sculpture
Culture
Southern German, Bavaria
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Fletcher Fund, 1964
Accession Number
64.239
Tags
Art Historical Context
Ignaz Günther's *God the Father*, carved around 1770–80, stands as a majestic testament to Bavarian Rococo sculpture. This nearly eight-foot-tall figure, fashioned from pine and painted white, captures the patriarch in a dynamic pose, likely blessing or enthroned amid, embodying the era's fervent Catholic devotion. Günther, leading Munich sculptor active in southern Germany's church decorations, mastered the Rococo style's elegant curves and expressive drama, emotional intensity with refined detail before shift to Neoclassicism. The choice of pine—a lightweight, carvable wood common in Centra...