St Ursula was one of the most popular female saints of the late Middle Ages. This statue shows her with five small figures at her feet. They represent her virgin companions who were martyred with her. This sculpture is slightly unusual. It shows only five companions and their poses are very lively. St Ursula wears the rich dress and head-gear fashionable about 1520-1540. This type of costume is shown on several sculptures of female saints produced in the Limburg and Meus-Lower Rhine areas. There is a series of holes behind the crest of the saint's bonnet. These were probably originally intended to hold a metal fitting, most likely a tiara.
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The image of St Ursula protecting her under companions under her cloak was known in Germany as a 'Scutzmantel-Ursula'. It was especially suitable for communities of young women. Both these type of communities and individuals sought the patronage of St Ursula. By the early 1500s devotion to her had spread far from its centre in Cologne to cover most areas of Northern Europe.
