Mary Magdalen holds her symbol, a jar of perfumed ointment: she had earlier anointed Christ’s feet at a banquet; she would later anoint his corpse before its burial. This is likely a fragment from an elaborate altarpiece. Painted and gilded wooden sculpture was common throughout German-speaking Europe, a focus for artistic creativity and for believers’ piety. A sculptor and a broker, Lederer arranged for teams of craftsmen – including sculptors, painters and carpenters – to create work under his direction.
