Page:History of the German people at the close of the Middle Ages vol1.djvu/209

 SCULPTURE AND PAINTING 197 the Church of St. Lawrence in 1518. There were so many wood-carvers in Nuremberg that one wonders how they could all have made a living. Conspicuous amongst the sculptors for depth of imagination and conception is the ' Meister ' Jurgen Syrlin. His carved stalls in the Cathedral of Ulm are studies of the philosophy of nature, history, and revela- tion. Presiding over a wealth of vegetable and animal life, the artist represents Humanity in a threefold series of striking scenes — first, speculative paganism groping dimly after a god ; second, the promises of the Old Testament ; and third, the fulfilment of the Christian revelation. Heathendom is represented by its famous men, such as Pythagoras, Cicero, Seneca, Quintilian, and the Sibyls ; Judaism by the patriarchs, prophets, and holy women ; Christendom by the Apostles, the women of the New Testament, and other saints of the Church. The artistic execution is entirely in keeping with the philosophic depth of the conception. The figures are full of life and expression, and one is through- out impressed by the wonderful breadth and variety of treatment. The whole work was completed in the short period between 1469 and 1474. North Germany 1 was by no means behind the middle and southern provinces in the cultivation and pursuit of art. Even in Pomerania artistic zeal and industry •covered the whole land, attaining special excellence in wood-carving. The beautiful altar-piece in the Church 1 Mangenberger writes : ' We have heard so much of Nuremberg, Ulm, and Suabian art life that we might be tempted to look on the South as the art centre. But I do not agree with this. There are many art treasures in the North, in Lubeck, in "Wismar, and in Berlin, while in the Archaeological Museum in Dresden we find 330 specimens of wood-