A Masterly Hand / Scientia Artis 9

245 Marc Peez 12 244 Summary – The Late-Gothic Sculptures and the Rood Screen of the Church of St John the Baptist in Siersdorf: a Contribution on Working Techniques In Siersdorf in the municipality of Aldenhoven a late - Gothic interior of the highest quality has been preserved in the Church of St John the Baptist, which formerly belonged to a commandry of the Knights of the Teutonic Order. In addition to the Antwerp - made high altarpiece are eight wooden sculptures, some in the nave, supported on consoles on the pillars, the others on consoles in the apse. They date from around 1520 and are attributed to the so - called Master of Elsloo. In 1961 - 1965 they were examined and restored in the conservation studios of the Institute for Cultural Heritage of the Rhineland in Bonn, headed by Senior Conservator Ernst Willemsen. The most important piece of decoration, however, must be the unique wooden ‘rood screen’. It is assumed to have been carved in the same workshop as the eight sculptures, though its function and original position in the church are largely unknown. In the early twentieth century it underwent extensive treatment. Recently, in preparation for the Bonn exhibition Renaissance am Rhein in 2010 - 2011, it was treated again in order to prevent ongoing loss of material. This article introduces and interprets some technical aspects of the manu- facture of the sculptures and screen. They are mostly related to the carving, due to the lack of polychromy. The technical examination showed that at least three different workbenches were used in this workshop. It was also ­ demonstrated that the screen was formerly connected to the choir stalls, which show similar sculptural details and would therefore seem to have been carved – at least in part – in the same workshop.