ZÜRN, Jörg - b. ~1583 Überlingen, d. ~1638 Überlingen

German sculptor, part of a family of sculptors. He was born in Uberlingen, a town on the northern shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee), the eldest son of sculptor Hans Zürn the Elder. Jörg was first apprenticed to his father before training at several different workshops in southern Bavaria. In 1604, at the age of 21, he joined the local Guild of Sculptors. Given the demand for his family’s services, Hans Zürn the Elder would no doubt have kept his eldest son busy from the moment he finished his training.

A specialist in wood carving, Jörg is best known for his masterpiece of Baroque sculpture - the 10-metre-high, five-storey High Altar of the Virgin Mary (1613-16), in the Church of Saint Nicholas at Überlingen. No other major sculptures by him are known.