Sacred figures from the factory floor. 19th- and early 20th-century religious metal sculptures from German foundries

The subject of this article is the production of cast-iron and zinc religious sculptures (mainly for Catholic use) by foundries operating in German areas in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Crosses, gravestones, crucifixes and Christ figures for mounting on crosses were among the standard offerings of numerous iron and zinc foundries during the analysed period. However, in addition to the factories that produced religious casts on the margins of their core business, there were also German companies that treated religious sculpture as one of their specialities. They had a wider and more varied range of religious works: in addition to the standard assortment, they offered e.g. statues of Jesus, Mary, various saints, angels or Stations of the Cross. The majority of these works were clearly confessional in character – they were prepared for Catholic customers. As examples of foundries specialising in Catholic sculpture, the article presents: Zink-Giesserei by Wilhelm Pütz in Cologne, Fabrik Kunstgusseiserner Cultus-Industrie of C. Nicolaus Martin in Würzburg, Das Königliche Berg- und Hüttenamt in Bodenwöhr and the Munich foundry F. S. Kustermann. The flourishing of religious metal sculptures was the result of several factors: technological advances that allowed the use of cast iron and zinc for the serial production of sculptures, including large-scale hollow-cast statues; the activity of Catholic circles and the development of artistic production that met their needs; and, finally, the popularity of religiously profiled advertising, which made it possible for producers and consumers of sacred metal figures to meet.