Hagenauer, Niclas

Hagenauer, Niclas (or Niclas Hagnower) (active 1490s–1520s).
German woodcarver, documented in Strasbourg from 1493 to 1526. A good deal of sculpture has been associated with his name, but often on insecure grounds. The most famous work attributed to him is the carving of the Isenheim Altarpiece (Mus. d'Unterlinden, Colmar), celebrated for its paintings by Grünewald. The sculptural element of the altarpiece has been much praised, and even described as worthy of the paintings, but Michael Baxandall (The Limewood Sculptors of Renaissance Germany, 1980) says ‘it suffers from heavy-handed drapery as well as coarse characterization’. Friedrich Hagenauer (c.1500–after 1546), a sculptor and one of the outstanding medallists of his time, was probably the son of Niclas.