The 's-Hertogenbosch choir screen: the sculptures

The west façade

The front of the choir screen originally faced west towards the congregation of the cathedral. It is richly decorated with sculpted alabaster figures, and rectangular panels carved in shallow relief with scenes from the life of Christ. The four figures in the middle row are St Peter (14); The Virgin Mary with the Infant Christ (15); St John the Evangelist (16) and St Paul (17). The prominence of the figures reflects the importance of saints and the Virgin Mary in Roman Catholicism.

St John the Evangelist was the patron saint of 's-Hertogenbosch cathedral. The figure of St John is the only sculpture on the choir screen by Hendrik de Keyser, a Protestant and the leading sculptor in Amsterdam at that time. Records reveal that the Protestant Reformed Church authorities in Amsterdam demanded that Keyser stop work on the figure immediately because they objected to him working for Roman Catholic patrons in the Spanish-controlled areas of the Netherlands.

Although the shields are now blank, we know from the contract which coats of arms were painted on them. The third shield bearer from the left (5) once carried the Archducal coat of arms of Albert of Austria (died 1621) and Isabella of Spain (1566–1633), the Habsburg rulers of the Spanish Netherlands at the time the choir screen was built.

The figures now positioned in the arched areas were originally on the north end (18, 20, 21) and the south end (19, 22, 23) of the choir screen. They were relocated when the choir screen was installed in Room 50 because it only just fits inside the room and they would not have been easy to view.

1. Shield-bearer (coat of arms of Brabant)
2. Female figure representing Faith
3. Shield-bearer (coat of arms of Duke Godfrey III, died 1183)
4. Female figure representing Charity
5. Shield-bearer (coat of arms of Archduke Albert and Archduchess Isabella of Austria)
6. Female figure representing Hope
7. Shield-bearer (wild man holding the coat of arms of ’s-Hertogenbosch)
8. Relief panel depicting The Marriage at Cana
9. Relief panel depicting The Feeding of the Five Thousand
10. Relief panel depicting The Transfiguration
11. Relief panel depicting The Betrayal of Christ
12. Relief panel depicting Ecce Homo (Behold the Man)
13. Relief panel depicting The Nailing of Christ to the Cross
14. St Peter
15. The Virgin Mary with the Infant Christ
16. St John the Evangelist
17. St Paul
18. Female figure representing Justice
    
19. Female figure representing Peace
20. Relief panel depicting The Adoration of the Shepherds
    
21. Relief panel depicting The Adoration of the Magi
    
22. Relief panel depicting The Resurrection of Jesus
23. Relief panel depicting The Ascension of Jesus

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  The Marriage at Cana

  The Marriage at Cana, relief panel from the west façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch. Museum no. 1046-1871.

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  The Feeding of the Five Thousand

  The Feeding of the Five Thousand, relief panel from the west façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch. Museum no. 1046-1871.

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  The Transfiguration of Christ

  The Transfiguration of Christ, relief panel from the west façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch. Museum no. 1046-1871.

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  The Betrayal of Christ

  The Betrayal of Christ, relief panel from the west façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch. Museum no. 1046-1871.

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  Ecce Homo

  Ecce Homo, relief panel from the west façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch. Museum no 1046-1871.

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  The Nailing of Christ to the Cross

  The Nailing of Christ to the Cross, relief panel from the west façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch. Museum no. 1046-1871.

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  Charity

  Female figure representing Charity, from the west façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, 1610-13. Museum no. 1046-1871

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  Shield bearer

  Shield bearer with shield orginally painted with the coat of arms of Godfrey III, Duke of Brabant (died 1183), from the west façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, 1610-13. Museum no. 1046-1871

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  Faith

  Female figure representing Faith from the west façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, 1610-13. Museum no. 1046-1871

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  Shield bearer

  Shield bearer with shield originally painted with the coat of arms of Archduke Albert and Isabella of Austria, from the west façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, 1610-13. Museum no. 1046-1871.

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  Hope

  Female figure representing Hope, from the west façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, 1610-13. Museum no. 1046-1871.

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  Shield bearer

  Shield bearer in the form of a wild man holding a shield originally painted with the coat of arms of ’s-Hertogenbosch, from the west façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, 1610-13. Museum no. 1046-1871

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  St James the Evangelist

  Detail from the figure of St James the Evangelist, from the west façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, 1610-13. Museum no. 1046-1871

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  St Paul

  Detail of the figure of St Paul, from the west façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, 1610-13. Museum no. 1046-1871

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  The Virgin and Child

  Detail from the figure of the Virgin and Child, from the west façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, 1610-13. Museum no. 1946-1871

The east façade

Choir stalls, with seats for clergy, would have obscured most of the back of the choir screen below the black marble gallery.  This watercolour painting gives a good indication of how the choir screen looked from the east. It also confirms the central niche originally contained a figure of Jesus, now missing.

There are eight rectangular relief panels beneath the marble gallery. These represent the Last Judgement and the Seven Corporal Acts of Mercy: Feeding the Hungry; Giving Drink to the Thirsty; Harbouring the Harbourless; Clothing the Naked; Visiting the Sick; Visiting the Imprisoned; and Burying the Dead. This programme of sculpture was to remind the viewer of the importance of good works in obtaining salvation. Faith in God alone was not enough to reach heaven.  These reliefs would primarily have been viewed by the clergy as the lay congregation would not normally have had access to this area of the church.

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  Feeding the Hungry

  Feeding the Hungry, relief-carved alabaster panel from the east façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, 1610-13. Museum no. 1046-1871.

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  Giving Drink to the Thirsty

  Giving Drink to the Thirsty, relief-carved alabaster panel from the east façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, 1610-13. Museum no. 1046-1871.

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  Harbouring the Homeless

  Harbouring the Homeless, relief-carved alabaster panel from the east façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, 1610-13. Museum no. 1046-1871.

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  Clothing the Naked

  Clothing the Naked, relief-carved alabaster panel from the east façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, 1610-13. Museum no. 1046-1871.

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  Visiting the Sick

  Visiting the Sick, relief-carved alabaster panel from the east façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, 1610-13. Museum no.1046-1871.

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  Visiting the Imprisoned

  Visiting the Imprisoned, relief-carved alabaster panel from the east façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, 1610-13. Museum no. 1046-1871.

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  Burying the Dead

  Burying the Dead, relief-carved alabaster panel from the east façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, 1610-13. Museum no. 1046-1871.

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  The Last Judgement, relief panel from the east façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch. Museum no. 1046-1871.

  The Last Judgement, relief panel from the east façade of the choir screen from 's-Hertogenbosch. Museum no. 1046-1871.