St. LAWRENCE
- polychrome, gilt wood
- probably Tyrol, last decade of the 15th c.
- from the Vrbovec parochial church
- height: 107 cm
- According to old museum documentation, the statue has been identified as St. Lawrence. It is somewhat difficult to come to that conclusion judging from the appearance alone, though, because he lacks the usual attributes, while, instead of deacon's robes, he wears trendy nobleman's clothes and wears a diadem on his head. However, in Austrian/German regions, saints are often shown wearing profane clothes. The statue's style and typological properties point to the late Gothic style combined with a more modern realistic expression, all of which suggests reflections of a major sculptor's workshop managed by Erasmus Grasser that was active in Austria at the time. Since the statue is typologically similar to that of St. Stephen, also originating from the Vrbovec parochial church, we may safely assume that they once stood at the same altar. St. Lawrence and St. Stephen are otherwise known to be presented together rather often.