The Three Graces

Alabaster and Solnhofen stone are relatively soft materials, which can be easily carved with a knife. Marble, on the other hand, is a hard, fine-grained, crystalline stone, which has to be carved with chisels and a mallet. All can be polished with fine abrasive powders, with marble, in particular, taking a high polish. Solnhofen stone is similar to marble in colour, but soft. It comes from quarries near Solnhofen in Franconia in southern Germany. Sculptors in Nuremberg, Augsburg and Eichstädt used it from the 1570s.

This composition is a reworking of an early 16th century adaptation of the theme, typical of the northern Renaissance. Although not directly related to a specific example, the composition reflects the treatment of similar groups in the prints of Albrecht Dürer.