Sculpting Simulacra in Medieval Germany, 1250–1380 by Assaf Pinkus (review)

Since childhood, I have been drawn to several of the sculptures discussed in this book. The large, mid-thirteenth-century paired sculptures of Ekkehard and Uta (the inspiration for Maleficent in Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty) and Hermann and Reglindis from Naumburg Cathedral captured my imagination. Although there is a substantial German literature, very little has been written about them in English.

In this book, Assaf Pinkus examines, in four chapters, statues of the founding patrons at Naumburg; the royal sculptures in Vienna, Prague, and Mühlhausen; representations of martyrdom at Schwäbisch Gmünd; and the Schreinmadonna (Shrine Madonna). All have a striking realism and immediacy that enhance the sense of identification for the lay audience. This is an important element in the works’ appeal, just as it must have been for the medieval viewers.

Pinkus contrasts the idea of the simulacrum with that of the idol or image. He argues that focusing on religious experiences has blinded modern commentators to the imaginative responses of lay viewers. He does not believe that writings for and by female mystics are sufficiently representative of contemporary lay responses to this art, rendering, thus, the insights of Jeffrey Hamburger and others as limited. Unfortunately, Pinkus does not provide any convincing alternative approaches, though his thesis that these statues, as simulacra, invite a wide range of emotions and responses is very appealing.

Pinkus’s work is anchored in a deep knowledge of the extensive German scholarship into the nineteenth century. Frustratingly, however, he presumes a familiarity with this body of work that many English-language readers may not share, leaving this reviewer wanting to learn more. Indeed, there is a lot that could have been fleshed out further: How do these works differ from their immediate French forebears at Reims? And were these sculptures reflected in the sculptural programmes found in the buildings there?

Pinkus uses pertinent examples throughout to argue his case for a multiplicity of meaning in these Gothic sculptures, though the work could perhaps have benefitted from more focused discussions of particular monuments. With this book, he has issued a challenge to the pre-existing tradition of scholarly discussion on these artworks, but there remains plenty of room for future work on these ideas.