Kristus og den vantro Thomas 1880

Georg Christian Freund made this small sculpture of Christ and doubting Thomas in the 19th century, likely using plaster or terracotta. The material’s inherent softness allows for a surprising amount of detail, from the drapery of their robes to the curls of Thomas’s hair. You can imagine Freund carefully building up the forms, layer by layer, allowing the material to set before adding more. The base is simple and unadorned, the figures are the focal point, the rough texture of the plaster contrasting with the smoothness of their skin. This wasn’t Freund's only version of the subject, and the scale suggests that it was made in multiples, perhaps for sale to a growing middle class seeking religious keepsakes. Sculptures like this one blur the lines between mass production and individual artistry, between devotion and consumerism.