VISCHER Hermann I (? - 1488) - Sculpture depicting Bishop Rudolf von Sherenberg c. 1480 bronze with brown patina H. 26.5 cm Full-relief statuette depicting a standing bishop in liturgical dress, identified as Rudolf von Scherenberg (ca. 1401-1495), prince-bishop of Würzburg from 1466 to 1495.Originally the figure held a crosier in his right hand and a book in his left - according to tradition, the new edition of the Breviary of 1479 - now lost.The physiognomy of the prelate is closely matched by the funerary monument of Rudolf von Scherenberg in the Würzburg Cathedral, executed between 1496 and 1499 by Tilman Riemenschneider; this comparison is a significant element in support of a dating around 1480.The attribution of the bronze to Hermann Vischer the Elder was made orally by the scholar Ulrich Middeldorf. Active in Nuremberg and progenitor of the famous dynasty of founders, Hermann Vischer the Elder obtained citizenship in 1453 and was one of the main protagonists of bronze sculpture in the Germanic area in the 15th century, author of numerous tomb slabs and devotional works. His work was continued by his sons Peter and Hermann the Younger, who helped consolidate the prestige of the family workshop.The sculpture rests on a yellow marble base. Provenance:Collection of Prince Philip of Hesse, Rome;Private collection, Rome.