ERHART, Gregor
(b. 1460/79, Ulm, d. 1540, Augsburg)

Biography

German sculptor in wood and stone, trained in late Gothic style but subsequently influenced by the Renaissance. He was the son of Michael Erhart (active 1469-1522 in Ulm) and he is recorded for the first time in 1494 in Augsburg. However, it is probable that before 1497 he worked in his father's workshop at Ulm and received his training there. His participation in the execution of the Blaubeuren Altarpiece is presumed. In Augsburg he held the foremost place at the beginning of the 16th century.

On the basis of comparison with the Kaishem Virgin of Mercy, a work authenticated as his but unfortunately destroyed in 1845, several sculptures are now attributed to Gregor Erhart, in particular the celebrated Mary Magdalene in the Louvre, also called "La Belle Allemande".