Romanesque Christ Head. Upper Rhine 12th century.

Important Christ head in grey sandstone, probably from an applique statue adorning a Romanesque church. The iconography follows the tradition of the majestic and hieratic Christ. The face is treated in a stylized manner, with schematic features and a strict symmetry. The deeply incised almond-shaped eyes create a penetrating and timeless expression, while the barely suggested brow ridges reinforce the overall frontal aspect. The finely drawn mouth is framed by a mustache and a beard worked into parallel, slightly wavy strands. The hair is structured in long, wavy locks that fall symmetrically on either side of the face, a recurring feature in the iconography of Christ Pantocrator or the Christ in Majesty on Romanesque tympana. The robust style of this sculpture places it towards the late 12th century, following the works of the Masters of Eschau and Andlau, in the style of the sculptures of the eastern choir of Worms Cathedral in the third quarter of the 12th century, also represented in Alspach, Rosheim, and Marmoutier.

Sculpted in near-round relief in a Buntsandstein sandstone from the Northern Vosges, this sculpture can be linked to the works of Marmoutier Abbey, where various shades of this sandstone were used.
Consulted references:
· Two Sculptors of the 12th Century in Alsace: The Masters of Eschau and Andlau, Jean-Philippe Meyer, 2012.
· Romanesque Sculpture in Alsace, Jean-Paul Fuhry, 2002.
· The Portal of Andlau and the Expansion of Lombard Sculpture in Alsace during the Romanesque Period, René Jullian, 1930.
· Contribution to the Geology of the Sandstone Vosges, Jacques Perriaux, 1961.