PETEL, Jörg

(b. 1601 München, d. 1634 Augsburg)

Jörg (Georg) Petel was one of the most gifted German carvers in the period of the early 17th century. He studied in the workshop of Bartholomä Steinle in Munich, then went to the Low Countries and Paris before staying for a longer time in Rome. In Rome he came into contact with the Flemish sculptor Duquesnoy and Van Dyck. In 1633 he went again to Flanders where he executed a terracotta bust of his friend Rubens. He died in 1634 due to the famine and plague in Augsburg during the siege by the imperial army.

Bust of Rubens

The German artist J�rg Petel modelled a highly expressive bust of P.P. Rubens in 1633. He became the pioneer of German Baroque sculpture, partly because of the many contacts he had with the leading figures of the Flemish Baroque.

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Ecce Homo

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Hercules and the Nemean Lion

Probably the most innovative German sculptor of the early seventeenth century was J�rg Petel whose small sculptures are of very high quality. Many of his works contain echoes of the previous Mannerist period.

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Venus and Cupid

Petel was a notable carver whether on a large scale or in smaller works in ivory and bronze. The Venus and Cupid group is believed to have belonged to the painter Rubens, and then to the celebrated George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 4 minutes):

Francesco Gasparini: The Meddlesome Cupid, aria

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