THE EVOLUTION OF PASSION REALISM: FROM THE NUREMBERG GROUP TO THE DÖBELN CRUCIFIX IN GERMAN SCULPTURE FROM THE LATE 15TH TO EARLY 16TH CENTURY

This thesis explores the development of Passion realism in German sculpture from the late fifteenth to early sixteenth centuries, focusing on life-sized crucifixes produced in Nuremberg workshops. Central to this study is the Döbeln Crucifix (c. 1510), which exemplifies the culmination of this artistic trajectory through its striking anatomical precision, multilayered lifelikeness, and technical innovation. Tracing its lineage from earlier works such as the Heilsbronn Crucifix, this thesis situates the Döbeln Crucifix within the broader Nuremberg Crucifix Group and examines the socio-cultural conditions that shaped its emergence. The study highlights the influence of early Netherlandish naturalism on German sculptors and investigates the material and performative aspects of these works, including their use of real hair and articulated limbs in the context of Passion plays. Ultimately, this thesis argues that these visceral sculptures were intended to intensify devotional experience by enabling an embodied and multisensory engagement with Christ’s suffering — a strategy that blurred the boundaries between representation and physical presence.