Basel Antependium

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Basel Antependium

The Basler Antependium , also known as the Golden Plate , which is now in the Musée national du Moyen Âge in Paris , is an altarpiece made of metal that was donated by Henry II .

Together with that of Otto III. Donated antependium, the Pala d'oro , in Aachen Cathedral, the "Golden Table" from Basel is one of the oldest metal altar coverings that has survived in the German-speaking area. It was once part of the Basel Minster Treasure .

History and description

The golden antemensale was possibly donated by Heinrich II on October 11, 1019 on the occasion of the consecration of the newly built minster in Basel . The first piece of news can be found in the Great Basel Annals from 1416 that Emperor Heinrich had “given the munster a gulden plaque”.

The altar panel, 120 cm high, 175 cm wide, is made of thin sheet gold, which is attached to a partial oak core and divided into five figure fields based on the model of ancient sarcophagus reliefs. The composition is staggered from left to right and the figures are each identified by name in the arcade arch. On the far left is St. Benedict of Nursia , with tonsure , monk's robe and sandals. Crook and rule book mark him as abbot , founder of the first monk order ( Benedictine rule around 529). The veneration of the father of Western monasticism can be grasped early on in Heinrich II. He transferred the Duchy of Bavaria to his brother-in-law on the day of Saint Benedict in 1004 . The Michelsberg Monastery in Bamberg , to whose founding Heinrich II made a significant contribution, was the second saint alongside the Archangel Michael, St. Benedict.

It remains unclear where the foundation of the Antependium was originally directed. The view that it could originally have been intended for the Benedictine monastery on Michelsberg in Bamberg seems captivating. In addition to the depiction of St. Benedict, the fact that Michelsberg was also called "Engelsberg" would speak for this. In any case, the tablet was probably not originally made for Basel, as there is no reference to the Basel church patrons (Mary, John the Baptist and the Apostles).

In the second arcade is the Archangel Michael , on Christ's right in the position of honor, with a flag lance as guardian and warrior and a cross-decorated cosmos sphere.

In the middle, Christ protrudes above the others represented. As Salvator, he blesses with two fingers of his right hand, in his left he holds a golden ball with the Christ monogram ☧ (Chi-Rho) between Alpha and Omega . He wears a long antique-style robe (pay special attention to the movement in the depiction). The inscription in the central arcade emphasizes that Christ appears here as "King of kings" and "Lord of rulers" in the form of the Pantocrator of the Apocalypse , ( Rev 19,16  EU ). (Originally this title referred to Babylonian kings or Egyptian pharaohs .) The Roman emperor transferred the title to the ruler of the Christian church or Christianity . The figure of Christ is emphasized by its special plasticity, it surpasses the others in size, only in its nimbus there are antique gems , as well as larger gemstones and pearls. The nimbus of the cross is reserved for the three divine persons and refers to the crucifixion of Christ.

Gabriel and Raphael , both are depicted as barefoot youths with small wings and long staff sceptres. Gabriel announced the birth of the Lord to Mary, thus referring to the primus adventus, the antitype of the crucified Christ who functions as a type.

Dense foliage fills the spaces. The four cardinal virtues are shown in the arcade spandrels (prudence / justice / temperance / courage). Spiral shapes include fruits and four-legged friends, which could be a reference to the redemptive character. Pomegranates or grapes refer to the death on the cross ( Num 13.23  EU ). The peaceful coexistence of the herbivorous animals could point to the animal peace according to Isaiah .

The surrounding inscription reads: Quis sicut hel fortis medicus soter benedictus - prospice terrigenas clemens mediator usias. (Latin: Who is like God, strong, a doctor, a savior, a praised one? Care, benevolent mediator, for earthly beings. ) The verses are in the leonian hexameter (6-lever meter, consisting of internal rhymes, especially popular in 10th / 11th century). In addition, the inscription implies both Greek and Hebrew words. (Greek) “usias”, “soter” = savior / savior and (Hebrew) “hel” which has a similar intention of interpretation. In the three contemporary world languages, salvation is asked for here. Intentional interweaving of foreign words is possibly a demonstration of the classical education of the client Heinrich II. The inscription shows the foundation purpose of the board. When the good and the bad are judged, the three archangels and St. Benedict should intercede for the donor couple Heinrich II and Kunigunde of Luxembourg .

The emperor Heinrich II. And his wife are represented at the feet of Christ in a donor picture. They are distinguished as secular rulers by the crowns. It is not a dedication picture in which the donor holds the object / architecture to be donated in his hands and sends it to z. B. wants to hand over a saint. On church furnishings, donors usually appear praying, in the early Middle Ages they are often depicted in tiny small form next to the saints or Christ . In the case of this altarpiece , the founder is traditionally shown significantly reduced in size compared to the oversized Christ (→ perspective of meaning ), plus his wife. The extraordinary diminution is to be interpreted as an expression of their humility before God. In addition, the portrayal of the imperial couple documents their piety . This religious foundation was supposed to secure their soul salvation and shorten the time in the purgatory . In particular, the fact that the royal couple remained childless and therefore there is no direct descendant for the Memoria, requires special afterlife provision, including through foundations. The function of the founder image should not only indicate the client, but also represent the legal act of the foundation.

reception

The Basel Antependium was one of the most frequently published works of medieval goldsmithing in the 19th century, including on the one hand its unique position within monumental sculpture and goldsmithing and the legendary circumstances of its rediscovery and the inglorious sale by the newly founded canton of Basel-Landschaft , that of Schweizer Confederation after the violent separation of the cantons in Basel , 2/3 of the Münster treasure were drawn. The financially troubled young half-canton initially sold parts of it to private bidders (1836 and 1838) and from there contributed to the French state. The plaque has been deposited in the Musée national du Moyen Age in Paris since 1852 . There are gilded and unmounted white plaster casts of the altar panel in the Basel Historical Museum and in the former Basel City and Minster Museum Museum Kleines Klingental , both created before 1849 by the Basel modeller and sculptor Johann Heinrich Neustück , and a gilded replica in the castle church of Arundel Castle in Sussex . For the Maria Laach Abbey , the Munich goldsmith Cosmas Leyrer created the Boniface Altar from 1904–1905 as a free re-creation of the Basel Antependium with a modified program of figures.

literature

  • Josef Braun: Altarantependium (in the Catholic Church). In: Real Lexicon on German Art History . Vol. 1, Stuttgart 1934, Col. 441-458.
  • Tilmann Buddensieg : Heinrich II's Altarpiece in Basel. In: Wallraf-Richartz-Jahrbuch 19, 1957, pp. 133–192.
  • Rudolf F. Burckhardt: The Basel Minster Treasure. The art monuments of the canton of Basel-Stadt, vol. 2. Basel: Birkhäuser 1933.
  • Wolfgang Cortjaens: The construction of uniqueness. The golden altar panels of Basel and Aachen in the art historiography of the 19th century. In: Brigitte Meles (Ed.): The Basler Münsterschatz. Basel 2001, pp. 304-309.
  • Wolfgang Cortjaens: Rhenish altar buildings of historicism. Sacred goldsmithing 1870–1918 . Rheinbach 2002 [incl. Phil. Diss. RWTH Aachen 1999], pp. 48–58, figs. 9–18 (on the reception of the altar panel in the 19th century and on the replicas in gilded or white plaster in the Basel Historical Museum and in the Minster Museum).
  • Julia Gauss : On the determination and origin of the Basel Golden Altarpiece. A hypothesis, in: Basler Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Altertumskunde 81 (1981), pp. 5–24 ( digitized version )
  • Hans F. Haefele: The metric inscription on the altar panel of Heinrich II in: Basler Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Altertumskunde. Vol. 56 (1957), pp. 25–34 ( http://doi.org/10.5169/seals-117090 digitalisat)
  • Stefan Hess : Between admiration and immersion. On the afterlife of Emperor Heinrich II in Basel. In: Basler Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Altertumskunde. Vol. 102 (2002), pp. 83-143 ( digitized version )
  • Volkhard Huth : "Merciful Mediator of Being". An older observation on the Basel 'Golden Altarpiece' in a new light. In: Basler Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Altertumskunde, Vol. 103 (2003), pp. 11–29.
  • Joseph Kirmeier (et al. Ed.): Heinrich II., 1002-1024. Stuttgart 2002.
  • Carl Pfaff : Emperor Heinrich II., His afterlife and cult in medieval Basel. Diss.phil University of Basel. Basel / Stuttgart 1963.
  • Burkard von Roda: Die Goldene Altarafel , Basel 1999 (Basler Kostbarkeiten 20) ISBN 3-9520458-9-6
  • Gude Suckale-Redlefsen: The Basler Antependium, an Ottonian gold altar from the Basel Minster. In: Society for Swiss Art History, Vol. 51 (2000), pp. 60–63.
  • Gude Suckale-Redlefsen: The golden altar panel and its art-historical classification. In: Brigitte Meles (Ed.): The Basler Münsterschatz. Basel 2001, pp. 293-303.
  • Gude Suckale-Redlefsen: Golden jewelry for church and emperor. In: Josef Kirmeier (et al. Hrsg.): Kaiser Heinrich II. 1002-1024. Bamberg 2002, pp. 78-92.
  • Joachim Wollasch : Comments on the Golden Altarpiece of Basel. In: Christel Meier and Uwe Ruberg (eds.): Text and picture. Wiesbaden 1980, pp. 383-407.
  • Stefan Weinfurter : Heinrich II., Ruler at the end of time. Regensburg 1999.

Web links

Commons : Basler Antependium  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Art + Architecture in Switzerland: The Basler Antependium, an Ottonian gold altar from the cathedral in Basel. Retrieved October 18, 2019 .