Riksantikvarieämbetet

In Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, a medieval sculpture depicting the dead Christ has survived, which has largely been unnoticed in previous research. Despite its poor state of preservation, with feet, arms and polychromy missing, the sculptureis of high quality: fine details are rendered in the wood and the carving displayscharacteristic techniques. Close examination and description of the sculpture’s technical and stylistic traits, together with comparative studies, has revealed aspects related to the sculpture’s function, origin and dating. The typology of the Riddarholmen Christ places it among the many ‘Christ Tomb’ arrangements surviving in Northern Europe from the late medieval period, and historical sources mention the existence of such a tomb in Riddarholmen Church. A more specific original function could be a so-called Easter Sepulchre. Stylistically, the Riddarholmen Christ displays characteristic features of the Soft style, originating in Prague around 1380. A range of surviving Pietà sculptures of this type survive in Central Europe, sharing similar traits, particularly in the rendering of facial hair. However, the Riddarholm sculpture is slightly stiffer and more schematic than the original Prague works, placing it more rightfully as a product by the second generationof Soft style, as it spread to the State of the Teutonic Order around 1400, and which became a centre of export of this type of sculptures to Sweden.