Price databaseBrowseSell your artwork
Watchlist
Michael Zürn the Elder, Saint Sebastian, Wooden figure carved in the round and partially freestanding. Remains of older polychromy. This expressive and finely carved figure depicts the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian. The Saint is shown tied to the bare stump of a tree, dressed only in a perizonium and pierced with arrows. The figure displays strong parallels to two other figures of Saint Sebastian by Michael Zürn the Elder in the Badisches Landesmuseum in Karlsruhe and in the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum in Munich (Zoege von Manteuffel 1969, op. cit., no. 10 & 11). Zoege von Manteuffel has confirmed this sculpture to be a work by this artist and dates it to around 1635 / 1640. The facial features and hair are also highly comparable to Michael Zürn's "John the Baptist" in the Museum Bruderkirche in Heiligkreuztal from around 1625 (Zoege von Manteuffel 1998, op. cit., p. 110). The right foot lost, the arrows replaced. Minor vertical cracks. Losses to the back of the plinth. A small hollow with an old metal clamp to the back of the tree© Lempertz — view on Lempertz website ↗

Thumbnail shown for reference only. Lempertz holds the rights to its photography — see the full images on the original lot page ↗

Auction result

Saint Sebastian

Michael Zürn the Elder (German, 1585–1651)

€25,000 price realized incl. premium

≈ $27,840≈ £22,522

Sign up free to see all prices

You’ve used this month’s free price views. A free account shows the hammer price, buyer’s premium and price realized for every lot — no card, no fees.

Sign up free Sign in
Medium
Sculpture · Sculpture all sculpture results →
As published: “Wooden figure carved in the round and partially freestanding. Remains of older polychromy. This expressive and finely carved figure depicts the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian. The Saint is shown tied to the bare stump of a tree, dressed only in a perizonium and pierced with arrows. The figure displays strong parallels to two other figures of Saint Sebastian by Michael Zürn the Elder in the Badisches Landesmuseum in Karlsruhe and in the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum in Munich (Zoege von Manteuffel 1969, op. cit., no. 10 & 11). Zoege von Manteuffel has confirmed this sculpture to be a work by this artist and dates it to around 1635 / 1640. The facial features and hair are also highly comparable to Michael Zürn's "John the Baptist" in the Museum Bruderkirche in Heiligkreuztal from around 1625 (Zoege von Manteuffel 1998, op. cit., p. 110). The right foot lost, the arrows replaced. Minor vertical cracks. Losses to the back of the plinth. A small hollow with an old metal clamp to the back of the tree”
Edition
1635/1640
Category
Sculpture
Dimensions
Height 87 cm
Auction house
Lempertz
Sale
Auction 1153 Fine Art (1153-1)
Date
May 30, 2020
Location
30.05.2020 11:00, Cologne
Lot
2222
Estimate
€25,000 – €30,000 (≈ $27,840 – $33,408) (≈ £22,522 – £27,027)
Source
Auction house lempertz.com ↗
Retrieved Sep 25, 2026

View original lot page ↗

Own a work by Michael Zürn the Elder? Get a free auction estimate →

Own this work? Add it to My Collection → Private to you, with alerts when comparable works sell.

Similar size by this artist

Works by Michael Zürn the Elder with a longest side of about 87 cm (34.3 in) (±20 %).

All Michael Zürn the Elder results of this size →

More results for Michael Zürn the Elder

All results for Michael Zürn the Elder →

Also in this sale

Auction 1153 Fine Art · Lempertz · May 30, 2020

All Lempertz results →

Similar works

Sculpture results by other artists in a similar price range.