Tomb of Duke Wilhelm von Jülich-Kleve-Berg

The tomb of Duke Wilhelm von Jülich-Kleve-Berg in the Lambertus Church in Düsseldorf is a work of art in “styles of the Italian High Renaissance based on the triumphal arch scheme established by Andrea Sansovino ”. The work of art is attributed to the masters Gilles de Rivière and Niccolo Pippi from Arras or Gerhard Scheben from Cologne. It is in the middle of the ambulatory of the hall church .

description

The grave monument, symmetrically constructed in ancient architectural forms and richly decorated with sculptures , rises above a substructure, in front of which the ruler is depicted as an old man lying in full plastic on a sarcophagus . Four Corinthian columns are presented and support the entablature of the gable top on two floors. The monument is crowned by female figures, angels and the risen Christ . In the semicircle of the triumphal arch there is a relief depicting the Last Judgment . In the adjacent niches the figures of the four cardinal virtues are depicted: cleverness with the snake, justice as Justitia with scales and sword, bravery with a broken column and moderation with two vessels. A staircase leads up to the grave monument. On it stand, symmetrically staggered, six lions , holding the coats of arms of six territories of the ruler.

Theodor Levin : The grave monument of Duke Wilhelm von Jülich-Cleve-Berg in the Sct. Lambertus Church in Düsseldorf. With two art supplements. In: Contributions to the history of the Lower Rhine . Vol. 1, 1886, pp. 175–203 ( digitized version from Düsseldorf University Library ).
Paul Clemen : The art monuments of the Rhine province . Vol. 3, Section 1: The art monuments of the city and the district of Düsseldorf. Schwann, Düsseldorf 1894, pp. 40-42 .
Friedrich Küch : Contributions to art history in Düsseldorf. Part I: The grave monument of Duke Wilhelm III. (V.) in the Lambertus Church. In: Contributions to the history of the Lower Rhine. Vol. 11, 1897, pp. 64–72 ( digitized version from Düsseldorf University Library).
Friedrich Schaarschmidt : On the history of Düsseldorf art, especially in the XIX. Century. Verlag des Kunstverein for the Rhineland and Westphalia , Düsseldorf 1902, p. 6 f.
Architects and Engineers Association of Düsseldorf (ed.): Düsseldorf and its buildings. L. Schwann, Düsseldorf 1904, pp. 81–83, illustration. 64.
Theo Lücker: Stones speak. Small signpost through Düsseldorf's old town . Verlag T. Ewers, Düsseldorf 1977, pp. 40-41 [No. 18 The tomb of Wilhelm the Rich].