A Masterly Hand / Scientia Artis 9

111 Famke Peters and Vincent Cattersel 5 110 Such a combination of similarities and discrepancies makes this an extremely complex oeuvre that raises many questions and requires clarificati on. 3 Ho w can these similarities and differences be explained? The sculptures’ appearance were obviously determined by a variety of factors, not only the sculptor and the time of production but also considerations related to the specific context in which they were produced, such as the nature of the commission, the money available, the building a work was meant for, its place within that building and its devotional and liturgical significance. Unfortunately, little is known about the precise circumstances in which these sculptures were produced. In art-historical literature the name ‘Master of Elsloo’ is used to refer to a sculptor, a workshop, or several sculptors or workshops working in a certain st yle. 4 Th is demonstrates the difficulty of defining the ‘Elsloo oeuvre’ as a whole, as well as the relationships between subgroups or individual sculptures and their creators (same hand, same workshop, copies, made by a follower, in the style of…). Which criteria (quality of execution, specific stylistic or technical features) can be used to determine how these sculptures and their makers are related? Not to mention that differences could be explained by evolutions in a sculptor’s practice or in a workshop’s product ion. 5 5.11 5.12