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Lute-playing Angel
About the Artwork
This sculpture was originally placed at the top of the altarpiece of the high altar in the church at Nieder Lana, near Meran, in the South Tyrol (now part of present-day North Italy). The sculptor had contracted in 1503 to complete this altar within eight years for the payment of 1,600 gilders. Hans Schnatterpeck was originally from Landsberg am Lech in Bavaria. By 1478-79 he had settled in Meran where he operated the leading workshop in the area. This angel is a surviving element from his most famous work, the largest Gothic altarpiece of the Alpine region. Other elements survive in various public and private collections.
Exhibition history
When Angels Bent Near the Earth to Touch Their Harps of Gold: The Christmas Story. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 1, 1981-January 17, 1982). Lutes, Lovers, and Lyres: Musical Imagery in the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 14-June 11, 1989).
Quick Overview
- Artist
- Hans Schnatterpeck (Austrian)
- Date
- made shortly after 1503
- Medium
- Black Forest balsalm fir with polychromy
- Dimensions
- Overall: 75 cm (29 1/2 in.)
- Type
- Sculpture
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Department
- Medieval Art
- Credit line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Severance A. Millikin
- Accession no.
- 1959.340
Provenance
one of the angels from the church at Lana in the Tyrol, removed or sold during World War II; (Mr. and Mrs. Severance A. Millikin.
Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.
Open-access museum record · AT-00010779
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