n which the
"host" is kept; over this the sculpture ascends upwards in a series
of tapering columns and foliage of the most light and fanciful
description, until it reaches the spring of the arched roof, where the
crowning pinnacle "bows its beautiful head like the snowdrop on its
stem," in the curve of the arch, gracefully completing a work which,
for originality, delicacy, and the most extraordinary elaboration of
design, is a perfect marvel of stone-carving. The foliations are so
flowing and delicate, that it has given rise to a popular tradition
that Krafft was possessed of some secret for making stone plastic. We
have nothing so delicate in this country, unless it be some of the
leaflets on the Percy shrine, and screen of Beverley Minster. Krafft's
leaves are as thin and delicate, as crisp and free, as if moulded from
nature in plaster of Paris, while the grand curves of his ornamental
adjuncts are astonishing, when we reflect on the mass of stone
necessarily cut away to produce these boldly-flowing enrichments.
Krafft was born at Ulm in 1430, and died 1507. His father was the
printer, Ulrich Krafft. He commenced this work in the year 1496, and
completed it in 1500. In it we see the perfect mastery produced by a
life of labour, and in front of it he has sculptured his own effigy,
kneeling, mallet in hand, and supporting his favourite work. There is
a touching simplicity in this union of the artist and his labours,
made in these instances all the more impressive by its utter want of
pretension. There is no affectation--no studied artistic or classical
portraying; we have simply the man and his work before us, appealing
by their dumb native eloquence to that homage and love, which are
their due by their own inherent greatness.

[Illustration: Fig. 249.--Adam Krafft.]

[Illustration: Fig. 250.--The Goose-seller.]

That works based on truth and nature will always possess this power, may
be proved by the admiration bestowed on a small work by a pupil of
Vischer's, which is popularly loved by the Nuernbergers, and known as
"Das Gaensemaenchen" (Fig. 250). It forms the central figure of a small
fountain beside the Frauenkirche, and represents a country boor leaning
against a small pillar, with a goose under each arm, waiting a customer
in the market; from the mouth of each goose a stream of water descends.
The figure is not more than eighteen inches high, and is, from the
smallness of its size, compared with the greatn