NEW YORK, NY.- Luhring Augustine and Sam Fogg announce Treasures of the Medieval World, the fourth in a series of highly-praised collaborative exhibitions showcasing medieval masterpieces in a contemporary context. Following the success of the first three iterations, Of Earth and Heaven (2018), Gothic Spirit (2020), and The Medieval Body (2022), this exhibition opened on January 31 at Luhring Augustine Tribeca, and runs through March 8.

This new exhibition brings together over forty rare pieces of art spanning the fields of sculpture, painting, ceramics, textiles, and goldsmith’s work. Collectively they evince medieval Europe’s astonishing and enduring artistic legacy.

Highlights include one of only five autograph works carved by the master sculptor Tilman Riemenschneider still in private hands, and the only seated limewood Virgin and Child group made by him to survive anywhere in the world. Riemenschneider occupies a central position in the scholarship and appreciation for German limewood sculpture of the late Middle Ages. Never before exhibited in America, and having resided in the same Austrian collection for well over 100 years, this pioneering sculpture is a startling testament of the artist’s working processes and ground-breaking creativity.

Tilman Riemenschneider (c. 1460-1531), The Seebenstein Madonna, Germany, Lower Franconia, Würzburg, c.1500-1505. Limewood with traces of polychromy, 91.5 x 45 x 30 cm.

Another major highlight is The Apparition of Christ to the Virgin, painted by Alejo Fernandez, and is the 16th-century Sevillian painter’s masterpiece. Originally displayed at the center of a monumental altarpiece, or retablo in Spanish, it is a dramatic work which straddles the late-medieval and Renaissance worlds, incorporating influences from Italian masters like Raphael, Bramante, and Pinturicchio. Famously, Fernandez is also known for his portrait of Christopher Columbus in The Virgin of the Navigators executed for the Alcazar of Seville between 1531 and 1536.

Alejo Fernandez (c. 1475 - c. 1545), Appearance of the Risen Christ to his Mother with the Fathers of Limbo, C. 1520-1530, Spain, Seville. Oil on softwood panel, 150 x 107 x 3 cm (exc. frame); 175 x 131.2 x 9.5 cm (framed).

The exhibition also includes a dramatic Bavarian sculpture of Saint George trouncing the Devil, formerly part of the Thyssen-Bornemisza collection. A tour-de-force of late gothic carving, it is a masterful study of movement and tension, and is the most successful surviving work of an otherwise unknown South German sculptor who flourished before Riemenschneider’s rise to prominence.

Saint George and the Dragon, c. 1430, Austria, Tyrol. Softwood with silver and polychromy, 123 x 61 x 28 cm.

A rare and complete English alabaster altarpiece, featuring fifteen individual carved panels and traceried canopies, will also be displayed and represents England’s often forgotten but far-reaching contribution to the aesthetic texture of the medieval world. Such altars were once found in great numbers across Europe, but in shocking testimony to the destruction wrought during the English Reformation and subsequent centuries of neglect, not a single intact alabaster altarpiece of its type survives in an English religious house today, and only a tiny few are preserved in museum collections.

Alabaster altarpiece of the Passion, c. 1450, England, Midlands, 75 x 226 x 7 cm. Alabaster with polychromy, set into modern carcass.

A superb example of Portuguese royal display silver will also feature prominently in the presentation, alongside other examples of early European precious metalwork. This large silver-gilt ewer represents the pinnacle of goldsmith’s work produced for the European nobility at the turn of the 16th century, in a medium that has been largely lost due to the ease with which its precious metals could be melted down for extracted value. Once part of the Rothschild collection for 150 years, and one of fewer than a dozen similar vessels in existence, it showcases the opulence of the Manueline style popularized by King Manuel I of Portugal. Its intricate craftsmanship demonstrates the high level of skill involved in European goldsmithing during the period.

A silver-gilt ewer with dragon-headed spout and repoussé ornament, Portugal, c. 1500-1520. Gilded silver with inset reverse-glass painting, 50.3 x 17.2 x 26.5 cm, 2 kilograms gross wight.

The exhibition’s broad spread, and its aim to represent the fluid geographical and cultural boundaries of the medieval world, will be manifested in the incorporation of a small clutch of vanishingly-rare Turkish carpets, which came to Europe early in their histories by way of Italian merchants. These carpets highlight the cultural and artistic exchange between the Christian and Muslim communities during the medieval period. One such example, the Bernheimer Phoenix in Octagon rug, was woven in a southern Anatolian community and is one of only five of its type surviving anywhere in the world.

The Bernheimer 'Phoenix in Octagon' rug, c. 1490-1525, Southern Anatolia, Tekeogullari or Ramazonogullari Beylik? Warp, weft and pile of wool with a symmetrically knotted pile, 200 x 119 cm.

Through these exceptional works, Treasures of the Medieval World offers a comprehensive view of the artistry, craftsmanship, and cultural exchange that defined the medieval period. The exhibition highlights the diversity of materials and forms that made up this extraordinary era in European and Mediterranean art.

Gargoyle representing a dog-human hybrid, c. 1300-1350, Southern France. Limestone, 64.5 x 24 x 18.5 cm.

Maestro della Madonna di Orte (active c. 1490-1520), The Madonna and Child, c. 1495-1500, Italy, Viterbo. Oil, tempera, and gilding on poplar, 47 x 34.9 x 2.5 cm (exc. frame); 54 x 41.3 x 5 cm (framed).

Konrad Kyeser, The Donaueschingen Bellifortis, c. 1460, Alsace or the Lake Constance area. Illustrated manuscript on paper, 33 x 21.5 cm.

Niccolo di Buonaccorso (active in Siena by 1372, died 1388), The Virgin and Child Enthroned, c. 1380s, Italy, Siena. Tempera and gilding on poplar, 25.5 x 18.5 x 1 cm (exc. frame); 28.1 x 21.1 x 2.7 cm (framed).

A predella depicting three scenes from the Passion of Christ, c. 1440, North-eastern Spain, Crown of Aragon. Oil, tempera, gilding and silvering on softwood panel, 77 x 151 cm.

A Schöne (Beautiful) Madonna, c. 1430, Austria, Salzburg. Softwood with large vestiges of gilding and polychromy, 132 x 52 x 38 cm.

A Knight on Horseback, c. 1480, Northern Italy or Tyrol. Softwood with traces of polychromy, 86.2 x 75.5 x 41 cm.

A large Hispano-Moresque charger with briony flowers around a central armorial, c. 1430-1470, Spain, Valencia, probably Manises. Tin-glazed earthenware, 46.1 x 6.5 cm.

Saint Christopher, c. 1350, Spain, Catalonia. Softwood with gilding and polychromy, 76 x 19 x 16 cm.

Master Felipe (The Master of the Zarzoso Triptych), Ecce Homo, c. 1450. Castile. Oil on softwood panel, 42.6 x 30.7 cm x 1 cm (exc. frame); 52.5 x 40.9 x 4 cm (framed).

Master of the Regensburg Hostienfrevel, The Pentecost, c. 1480, Germany, Regensburg. Oil on spruce panel, 110.0 x 95.0 x 2cm (exc. frame); 121.3 x 99.2 x 5 cm (framed).

Tracery Section from the Chapter House Vestibule of York Minster, c. 1280-1291, England, York. Limestone, 71 x 69 x 37 cm.

A gilded brass reliquary bust of a martyred female saint, c. 1520, Southern Germany or Switzerland. Brass with gilding and polychromy, 43.5 x 43 x 25.5 cm.

Christ and a Sleeping Apostle from an Agony in the Garden group, c. 1450, Alpine Region. Terracotta, 102 x 43 x 58 cm.

Master of the Bamberg Altarpiece, The Meeting of Anna and Joachim at the Golden Gate, c. 14356, Germany, Nuremberg. Oil, gilding, and silver on softwood panel, 106.8 x 58.8 x 1.7 cm (exc. frame); 113.5 x 65 x 3.7 cm (framed).

The Master of Girona (Ramon Sola II? doc. 1456-1484) Workshop, Saint Anne Enthroned with Angels, c. 1470s, Spain, Catalonia, Girona. Oil, gilding and silvering on softwood panel, 162 x 100 x 10 cm.

Saint George, c. 1480-1500, Tyrol or Upper Bavaria. Limewood, 148.5 x 58 x 32.5 cm (excluding modern sword).

An enamelled casket showing the Martyrdom of Saint Stephen, c. 1210-1220, France, Limoges. Gilded copper alloy with champlevé enamel over oak core, 17.8 x 13 x 5.8 cm.

A micro-architectural custodia or monstrance, c. 1450 with later adaptations, Northern Spain. Gilded silver with basse-taille enamels, 44.7 x 22.9 x 17.5 cm.

An enamelled casket showing Christ in Majesty and the Lamb of God, c. 1190-1200, France, Limoges. Gilded copper alloy with champlevé enamel over oak core, 20 x 22.9 x 10.3 cm.

A chalice showing the four Evangelists and the arms of the von Sundhausen, c. 1330-1350, Germany, Thuringia, Nordhausen? Gilded silver with basse-taille enamels. The calyx replaced 14.5 (height) x 11.1 (diameter at foot) cm; Weight 307 grams.

A Standing Virgin and Child, c. 1270, Strasbourg. Fruitwood, 24 x 7.8 x 7 cm.

A rock crystal processional cross, c. 1300, Spain, Catalonia. Gilded in copper and polished rock crystal over an iron core, 36 x 19.5 cm; 43 x 19.5 cm (including base).

The Virgin and Child on a Crescent Moon, c. 1520, Germany, Bavaria. Limewood with gilding, silvering, and polychromy, 105 x 58 x 26 cm.

A massive one-handled mortar decorated with the arms of the Bishop of Salzburg, Leonhard von Keutschach, c. 1500, Austria. Bronze, 26.1 x 25.8 x 29.6 cm; 16.3 kg.

Saint Crispin, c. 1520, France, Champagne. Limestone with vestiges of polychromy, 80 x 36 x 31 cm.

Sigmund Gleismüller (active Landshut, 1474-1505), c. 1485-1490, Bavaria, Landshut. Oil and softwood panel (spruce or larch), 129 x 117.5 cm; 147 x 134.5 cm (framed).

The Crucified Christ, c. 1150-1175, South-West Germany, Swabia or the Rhine Valley. Gilded bronze, 19.5 x 20 x 4 cm.

Sebastian de Almonacid (1460-1526) ?, Triptych of the Virgin and Child with Saints and Donors, c. 1500-20, Spain, Castile. Walnut with gilding and polychromy, 73 x 114.3 x 13 cm (fully open).

Part of an eight-lobed 'Star Ushak' carpet, c. 1550-1600, Western Anatolia, Ushak. Warp, weft and pile of wool with a symmetrically knotted pile, 156 x 191 cm.

Regiomontanus (b. Johannes Müller; 1436-1476), The personal Astrolabe of Cardinal Basilius Bessarion (1403-1472), Dated 1462, Rome. Brass, signed 'loannis' and dedicated to Cardinal Bessarion "Bessarionis de Cardine", 14 x 11.6 x 1.2 cm.

Saint Sebastian, c. 1480, Alpine lands. Limewood, 90 x 22 x 19 cm.

A complete 'Lotto' Arabesque rug, c. 1500-1525, Western Anatolia. Warp, weft and pile of wool with a symmetrically knotted pile, 199 x 121 cm.

An Early Christian Icon of the Virgin and Child, 6th century AD, Northern Egypt. Woven fabric of wool pile in a tabby weave on linen ground, 78.9 x 38 cm.

Reliquary bust of a female saint, c. 1500-1510, Southern Netherlands, perhaps Limburg. Oak, 39 x 28 x 13.5 cm.