Une figure sculptée de saint Aré conservée au Bayerisches Nationalmuseum de Munich : Michel Colombe et la sculpture tourangelle hors les murs ?*

Abstract

Abstract In the rooms of the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum in Munich, the astonishing sculpture of Saint Are stands out. The sixth-century bishop of Nevers is depicted lying dead on the bottom of the small boat that miraculously sailed up the Loire as far as the village of Decize. It is for the church of this locality that this sculpture was made, probably after depredations committed to the treasure of the sanctuary in 1484. A stylistic analysis reveals the close links of this work with contemporary sculpture in Touraine, particularly with the anonymous figure of a bishop now kept in Saint-Saturnin at Limeray (Indre-et- Loire). The same hand of an artist who seems to have worked in the entourage of Michel Colombe must be recognized in both works. The documented presence of the great sculptor in Moulins in 1484 further supports this presumption.