Wood sculpture representing a wild man

ORIGIN: GERMANY or EAST OF FRANCE
PERIOD: 16th CENTURY

Height : 50 cm
Width : 18 cm
Depth : 17 cm

Walnut

The wild man or pilosus (" hairy ") appears in literature and art of medieval Europe. Men or women living traditionally in the woods or mountains, their body is covered with fur except the hands, feet and face with a long beard.

This wild man is standing, beard and hair well-drawn, large nose, body covered with long hair, leaning on a column. His hips are covered with leafy branches that hide the intimate part of his anatomy, specific behavior of man. If his body is like an animal’s , however his face looks quite human.

Indeed, the Wild Man is the link between the civilized world and the wilderness. Until the end of the 14th century , he is the antithesis of civilization. He represents the uneducated man, the brute who regresses to be almost a beast.

After 1350, the wild man is gradually rehabilitated. This is explained by the decline of courtly ideal or by the positive symbol of necessary domestication instincts.
The wild man was a popular theme to the 16th century, particularly in Germany in heraldry or in the work of Albrecht Dürer. A wood carved sculpture of wild man very similar is in the Historical Museum of Mulhouse, inv. 964.