Figure of the bishop (Allegory of Catholicism) 1758

Johann Georg Pinzel carved this gilded limewood sculpture of a bishop in present-day Ukraine, likely in the mid-18th century. Its theatrical dynamism reflects the Baroque style popular in the Habsburg Empire at that time. The figure represents Catholicism through the visual codes of a bishop’s mitre, cape, and ornate robes. But the figure’s upward movement and open gestures also represent the Catholic Church’s growing influence in Eastern Europe. Pinzel worked primarily for the Catholic Church and other religious institutions in the region. His sculptures were commissioned to adorn newly built or refurbished churches, monasteries, and cathedrals. The institutions of the church and the styles of art they favored shaped Pinzel’s artistic production. To understand Pinzel’s work more fully, scholars consult church records, architectural plans, and social histories of the period. The meaning of Pinzel’s sculpture lies not only in its aesthetic qualities, but also in its historical and institutional context.