Abel Schrøder

[1] Under the sponsorship of Frederik Reedz, a lensmand or royal vassal, most of Schrøder's work was for churches in the region of Vordingborg.

A stone epitaph in St Peter's Church, Næstved, provides a brief account of Schrøder's life: "Sculptor and organist in St Martin's Church for 42 years, husband of his dear wife Mette Petersdatter for 47 years with whom he was the father of nine children..." The inscription also tells us Schrøder died on 5 March 1676 and that six of his children were buried with him.

The workshop often worked with models from the Netherlands in composing reliefs as can be seen in the pulpit in Holmen Church, clearly inspired by illustrations from the Piscator Bible published by the Visscher family in Antwerp.

His works were however not as well proportioned as those of Lorentz Jørgensen of Holbæk, nor were his Auricular decorations as coherent and consistent as those of the anonymous master known as AS.

But Schrøder's work excels in the narrative displayed by his vast array of Biblical scenes as well as in his imaginative decorations.