Golden plaque
The golden table is a wooden retable in the form of a Gothic winged altar from the 15th century, which was created for the Minden Cathedral . It stands on a Romanesque predella from 1220. The name of the piece, which is important for church art, indicates the former, largely lost gilding.
Today the Golden Plate is one of the most valuable exhibits in the Bode Museum in Berlin. A smaller version of the reredos was made for St. Johannis Baptist in Herford in the late 19th century . A reconstruction of the golden plaque has been in the choir of Minden Cathedral since 2002. All three golden plates are similar in choice of motif, style and artistic design, but none is or was an exact copy of another.
Golden Plate in Berlin
At the Golden Plate in the Berlin Bode Museum (location: 52 ° 31 ′ 18.1 ″ N , 13 ° 23 ′ 42.4 ″ E, ) is the original, but it has not been preserved in its original state. It is noticeable that some figures are missing or have been swapped in their places and the painting and gilding have largely been lost.
description
The golden table consists of a Romanesque predella and a Gothic retable . It is carved from oak and shows only remnants of the formerly complete painting and gilding. Parts and entire figures are missing, the wood is in very poor condition in parts. The wings are fixed, so they can no longer be moved. With the wings open, the retable is about 5.5 meters wide.
Reredos
The retable is a winged altar. The coronation of Mary appears in a circular medallion in the center of the middle section . The crowned Mother of God, Mary, sits on a Gothic throne on the right hand of Christ, who raised his arm in blessing . In the circular medallion, which is divided into several fields, a wreath of music-making angels forms a halo . On both sides of the coronation scene, the twelve apostles stand under Gothic canopies , some of which were reconstructed later . Old photographs show that the figures of the apostles changed their position several times. A reconstruction of the original arrangement will assume that the most important apostles were standing near the center; in addition to Peter and Paul, John, Andrew or Jakobus major are possible here. However, this cannot be more than a hypothesis. Since the altar comes from the same workshop as the former altar of the Jakobikirche in Lübeck (today the Schwerin Museum), the sequence of names written on the altar wall in the halos may also be valid for the Minden tablet. In the Jakobikirch altar stood from left to right: Simon, Matthäus, Matthias, Jakobus major, Johannes, Petrus, Paulus, Andreas, Jakobus minor, Bartholomäus, Thomas, Philippus. The apostle Judas Thaddäus is not included there in the twelve apostle series. However, depending on local preferences, another less important apostle such as Matthias or Philip could have been omitted in Minden.
Since the figures on the Jakobikirch altar were also later interchanged, it is not possible to identify the individual sculptures there and the comparison is therefore ineffective. The identity of the individual figures on the golden table can only be clarified beyond doubt for one figure, as it has retained its attribute: The beardless figure at position no.4 from the left with a chalice from which a snake crawls is Saint John (Evangelist ) . The key in the hand of another figure (position 10 from the left) is not original and therefore cannot identify this figure as Peter, especially since it does not correspond to the common Peter type. Because of her bald forehead and long beard, she can presumably be identified as Paul, but figure 2 is also possible as Paul. Due to the type of face (short, curly beard), either figure No. 1 or figure 8 is to be named as Peter, unless the fragmentary attribute of No. 8 was a knife, which would identify him as Bartholomew. Finally, the second beardless figure No. 9, looking into an open book, is perhaps to be named Matthew, since this apostle is the author of a gospel.
Below the row of apostles, fourteen people, usually referred to as prophets, are depicted in medallions on a low base strip. The inscriptions in the medallion frame of the prophetic figures on the basement are still partially preserved. The following can still be read: Osea , Amos , Solomon , Philon , Sophonias . So it is not just about prophets , but also other characters from the Old Testament . The other figures cannot be identified from today's representation. The inscriptions on the tapes that the fourteen hold in their hands probably showed text quotations from corresponding biblical passages that were related to Mary in the Middle Ages.
Only a few letters in Gothic Fraktur have survived from the writing tape surrounding the three panels . The text could not be reliably reconstructed.
Small remains of paintings were found on the back of the swivel wings of the retable during a restoration.
Predella
The Romanesque predella again shows the scene of the Coronation of Mary in the middle, similar to the reredos above, but clearly less prominent than in the reredos above, because Jesus and Mary are not lavishly framed by other figures as above, but, like all other figures of the predella, stand under a common one Blend arcades with cloverleaf arches in the Romanesque style. The arcades continue next to Mary and Jesus and in one below. The two rows of arcades on the front cover a total of 22 figures, including the figures of Jesus and Mary, each standing or sitting under an arch. In addition to the depiction of Mary and Jesus, the figures of ten apostles have been preserved, as well as bishops , deacons and knight saints, who are probably other regionally venerated saints in addition to the Dompatron Gorgonius , including a female person. Most of them are shown seated, some standing. The figures under six arcades on the front are missing. The middle and side pieces of the front protrude a little. On the side walls there are two and a half more blind arcades in continuation of the two front rows of arcades. The four fully formed arcades also have no figures. The side arcades are missing at least 12 more figures. In total, the Berlin Predella is missing at least 18 figures.
History and meaning
The original was a prominent feature in the cathedral until the abolition of the Minden diocese . In 1656 the golden table was replaced by a baroque altar , which did not survive the Second World War and was burned. For the longest time since 1656 the golden plaque was stored folded up in the cathedral and played no role in the liturgy of that time. The wood and the painting on the board were badly attacked during this negligent storage. Individual figures were lost. The panel was then sold in 1909 for 40,000 Reichsmarks by the cathedral parish to the Bode Museum in Berlin.
The predella is a Romanesque work , dated to the time around 1220. The dendrochronology showed the earliest possible date 1214. The predella was probably originally an altar with a box-shaped reliquary . The box-like structure continues on the sides in just two and a half blind arcades in the depth. This indicates that parts of the arcade row were sawn off at the side, so that the altar must have been deeper in the past and had an indefinite number of other arcades and figures. 22 figures have been preserved, at least 18 are missing from the Berlin factory. Two of them are preserved in the Museum of Arts and Crafts in Hamburg . Two more were among the exhibits in the Kestner Museum in Hanover . These two were destroyed in World War II and only photographs have survived. The middle and side pieces of the front, which protrude somewhat, were once crowned with gables. The reconstruction therefore results in an altar shrine with a gable roof and three gabled houses , which probably stood on an altar block . At the beginning of the 13th century, there were no altars with predelles. The use as a predella instead of a reliquary or the current combination of predella and reredos therefore dates back to the 15th century at the earliest.
The Gothic retable dates from around 1420/1425. The dendrochronological dating of the wood of the reredos showed the earliest possible date of origin 1421. According to a botanical investigation, the wood comes from the Weser Uplands south of Minden. Since the cover plate of today's predella belongs to the newer reredos, this was probably created from the outset with the intention of integrating the reliquary from the early 13th century as a predella in the new altar. The structure as a retable with a row of standing figures, a plinth and a central group follows the example of Lower Saxon altars such as the Coronation Altar of Mary in the Matthäikirche Gronau , which was formerly located in St. Godehard in Hildesheim . The figures show a great resemblance to the figures on the former altar of the Jakobikirche in Lübeck , which is now in Schwerin . As a result, they reveal themselves as the work of a Lübeck workshop. A successor to the Golden Table, which particularly copies the striking center circle, is the altar of St. Sixti Church in Northeim . The fact that the Lübeck art circle was used for the high altar of the cathedral in Minden shows the connections between the cities in the Hanseatic League .
The late medieval winged altar is a high quality work of the so-called " soft style ". The combination of Romanesque and Gothic parts into one work of art is of cultural and historical interest. The music- making angels of the reredos are of particular musical historical importance. Music historians can use this representation of medieval musical instruments to date their first use. For example, the board shows the oldest known illustration of a harpsichord .
Golden plaque in Herford
The golden plaque in the apse of the Catholic parish church St. Johannis Baptist in Herford (location: 52 ° 6 ′ 54.5 ″ N , 8 ° 40 ′ 34.6 ″ E ) is the second oldest version of the golden plaque. Its motif and style is based on the Berlin Golden Plate. In addition to the state of preservation, there are other clear differences. For example, the clearly different representation of some of the figures is striking. Overall, therefore, the Herford Golden Plate is not a mere (reduced) copy of the Berlin version, even if it is often referred to as such.
description
The Herford Golden Plate is well preserved. The gilding and figures are intact. However, the Herford version is significantly smaller than the Berlin version. The Herford Golden Plate consists of the retable with cracks and a newer substructure.
Reredos
The retable is a carved winged altar in the Gothic style with two movable side wings .
The main motif of the retable is the coronation of Mary . Mary is seated on a wide throne to the right of the seated Jesus . Mary, who turns to Jesus and has already been crowned , raised her hands as if in prayer . Jesus, represented with a crown and globe , raised his right hand to bless Mary. This scene is surrounded by an aureole , divided into several fields , in which 39 angels are represented. The angels, 36 of which carry musical instruments, organize the fields of the aureole into nine angelic choirs . The relief of the Coronation of Mary is mounted on a turntable so that the central scene can be changed. If you turn the disc, a representation of the Lamb of God appears .
This central motif is supplemented by the representation of the twelve apostles in an upper row and 14 mostly Old Testament prophets in a row below. The figures of the apostles are covered by Gothic canopies . The apostles carry in their hands Bibles and most of them have their attributes which allow identification.
Most of the Old Testament prophets are shown in circular medallions and are significantly smaller than the apostles above. In their hands they carry inscribed Torah scrolls as the Old Testament counterpart to the Bibles in the hands of the New Testament apostles. The upper edge of the medallions bears the name of the prophet depicted.
The three panels of the altar are each framed with a tape. The Latin lettering is done in Gothic fracture . The texts reproduced on the Herford version differ in part from the few surviving letters of the Berlin original and can therefore not always be regarded as reliable reconstructions.
The altarpiece wears a conversation tightness in neo-Gothic style that runs across the entire width of the main shrine.
The inside of the winged altar is extensively gilded . Circumferential Gothic script and glorioles around the heads of the apostles as well as some other motifs are executed as shiny gold plating and thus stand out from the predominantly matt gold background. Only a few parts are painted in a different color. The blue painting on the inside and some bulges of the otherwise golden robes of the figures is striking . Other parts are painted lifelike, including particularly striking the attributes of the apostles, the physiognomy of the figures, parchment and paper.
The back of the altar wing shows a panel painting with extensive gilding . The main motif is the crucifixion of Christ . Next to it appear the birth of Christ, the adoration of the Magi and the resurrection .
Substructure
Today's simple substructure made of light sandstone blocks is younger than the reredos and replaces the original predella, which was removed along with the cafeteria after the liturgical reform . The substructure is the same width as the main shrine and still allows the wings of the reredos to be moved. Relics of St. Pusinna , which were once in the now Lutheran Herford cathedral church “St. Marien und Pusinna ”was venerated after the relics of St. Pusinna from France were transferred to Herford in the 860s. The pusinna's little bones are kept in a reliquary made of dark wood , consecrated in 1944 by Lorenz Cardinal Jaeger , with a sight glass on the front.
history
The Herford version was made in 1891 by the sculptor Anton Mormann (1851–1940) from the Wiedenbrück school who was entrusted with the restoration of the original, which was then still in Minden Cathedral . The template for the Herford version was the Minden table, which was still better preserved at the time. Mormann produced a scaled down version of the golden plaque, which is presented predominantly as an imitation of the original plaque, but in parts was also freely artistically designed. In Herford, the golden table initially served as the center piece of the earlier high altar . The predella, which was originally also present and imitated by Mormann, was removed after the liturgical reform in the course of the Second Vatican Council . During the last renovation of the church, a modern pedestal was placed in which the relics of St. Pusinna were embedded.
Golden plaque in Minden
The Golden Table in the choir polygon of Minden Cathedral (location: 52 ° 17 ′ 20.1 ″ N , 8 ° 55 ′ 11.3 ″ E ) is the latest version of the Golden Table. The choice of motif and style are based on the models in Minden and Herford. Figures missing in Berlin as well as the gilding and other color schemes that were largely lost in Berlin were replaced. Overall, the Golden Plate is neither a completely artistically free new creation nor a copy of one of the earlier versions, but a reconstruction. The reconstruction is, however, also a work of high technical value and, if some parts are freely designed, also of high artistic value.
description
The golden table in Minden, in pristine condition due to the time it was made, consists of the retable and the predella on a simple, wooden, modern substructure. With the wings open, the retable is around five and a half meters wide, as in the Berlin version.
Reredos
The inside of the retable corresponds in style, form and design approximately to the Herford version, which, however, in contrast to the Herford version and just like the Berlin version, has no crack . The main motifs of the Coronation of the Virgin surrounded by angels, the apostles, including the prophets can all be found on the Minden version. Noticeable differences mainly affect the figures of the apostles. Only three of the four Inner Apostles have special attributes and can be identified as John ( attribute : chalice), Peter (key), [undefined] and James (pilgrim hat and bag) (from left to right). Due to the uncertainty of the original order of the original altar (see above), the order and combination of figure and attribute hardly corresponds to the original order - the reconstructed order deviates from the current arrangement of the figures in Herford and Berlin anyway.
Predella
Motif composition and style are approximately similar to the Berlin version. The main motif in the Minden version is the Coronation of Mary accompanied by two rows of other figures under arcades . The representations of the figures, however, differ significantly in many details. Most noticeable are the reconstructions of the missing figures. For example, the cathedral patron saint Gorgonius in his Roman armor (on Mary's right) and the first Minden Bishop Erkanbert (top row, 5th figure on the left, Jesus) were reconstructed . In the reconstruction, the identification of the depicted persons, including bishops and saints, is easier than with the heavily damaged Berlin Predella. However, it is not possible to identify all persons. In the Minden version, the angels, barely recognizable in the Berlin predella, are clearly visible above the arcades.
Painting and gilding were also reconstructed. As with the reredos , the gold covering dominates . Body parts are painted lifelike like in the reredos. In addition to the particularly noticeable blue in the reredos, parts of the vestments and Bibles are in red.
Substructure
The wooden substructure is kept simple and just as wide and deep as the predella and thus allows the side wings to be closed.
history
After attempts to buy back the original tablet in Berlin failed, the Minden-based company decided in 1999 to reconstruct the original tablet. The South Tyrolean sculptors Wilhelm Senoner and Hugo Senenor reconstructed the Golden Plate using the templates in Berlin and Herford and older sketches and photographs. The Senenors were supported by the Paderborn company Ochsenfarth Restoration . The reconstruction was consecrated in 2002 by Cardinal Joachim Degenhardt from Paderborn .
literature
- Hartmut Krohm, Robert Suckale (ed.): The golden table from the Minden cathedral . Gebr. Mann, Berlin 1992, ISBN 3-7861-1706-3 (picture booklet of the Staatliche Museen Preußischer Kulturbesitz , issue 73/74).
- Gerhard Lutz: The high altar retable from Minden Cathedral: A contribution to the position of Lübeck as an art center in the Hanseatic region . In: Uwe Albrecht , Jan von Bonsdorff (ed.): Figure and space. Medieval wooden sculptures in a historical and art-geographical context . Reimer, Berlin 1994, p. 153-171 .
- Roland Pieper , Anna-Beatriz Chadour-Sampson: City of Minden . Part II: Old Town 1 & The Cathedral District. In: Fred Kaspar, Ulf-Dietrich Korn (Hrsg.): Architectural and art monuments of Westphalia . tape 50 . Klartext-Verlag, Essen 1998, ISBN 3-88474-632-4 , p. 586–601 ( overview of the five parts of volume 50 ).
- Ansgar Hoffmann (photographer): The new Golden Plate in the Cathedral of St. Gorgonius and Petrus in Minden . Ed .: Church council of the Catholic Dompropsteigemeinde, Dombauverein Minden . Minden 2002 (plate available in the cathedral with a sheet by Paul Jakobi).
- Paul Jakobi: Minden Cathedral - a witness of faith . 2nd Edition. Bonifatius, 2005, ISBN 3-00-015541-4 .
- Hans-Jürgen Amtage: Minden Altar causes a little sensation . After cleaning the original of the golden plaque in the Bode Museum: Gouache painting shows figures of saints. In: Mindener Tageblatt . No. 262 , November 11, 2006 ( amtage.de [PDF; accessed December 7, 2010]).
- Hans-Jürgen Amtage: The Golden Plate and the "Autumn Storm" . How a treasure from Minden was rediscovered in the Berlin Bode Museum. In: Wochen-Journal . Weekly supplement to the Mindener Tageblatt . No. 262/45 . Berlin November 11, 2006 ( amtage.de [PDF; accessed December 7, 2010]).
- Werner Rösner: Minden Cathedral . In: DKV art guide . 11th edition. tape 321 . Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-422-02112-9 , pp. 12/13, 17 .
Web links
- Hans-Jürgen Amtage: The Golden Plate in Minden Cathedral. In: www.amtage.de - the private Minden magazine about the city of Minden (Westphalia). Hans-Jürgen Amtage, accessed December 7, 2010 .
- Jürgen Rösner: The Minden Golden Plate. Church council of the cath. Dompropsteigemeinde, accessed December 7, 2010 .
- History of the Catholic Church in Herford. Herford Pastoral Association, accessed December 7, 2010 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Only at positions 5,6,7,8,10, and 11 are they original.
- ↑ Mindener Tageblatt November 11, 2006, amtage.de ( Memento of the original from January 20, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF).
- ^ A b Hans-Jürgen Amtage: The Golden Plate in Minden Cathedral. (No longer available online.) In: www.amtage.de - the private Minden magazine about the city of Minden (Westphalia). Hans-Jürgen Amtage, archived from the original on September 28, 2010 ; Retrieved September 23, 2010 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ A b Werner Rösner: The Minden Cathedral . In: DKV art guide . 11th edition. tape 321 . Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-422-02112-9 , pp. 17 .
