Hallstatt Altar of Mary
The Hallstatt Marienaltar in the southern area of the double choir of the late Gothic Catholic parish church of the Assumption of Mary in Hallstatt in the Salzkammergut in Upper Austria is a pentaptych , a convertible altar with a main shrine, two movable outer and two movable inner wings, which allow a change between three different sides. The shrine is provided with sculptures , the inner wings are decorated with reliefs on the front and back , on the outer wings there are painting panels on both sides. The sculptures and reliefs are extensively gilded. The altar, which is consecrated to Mary, the Mother of God, was created around 1510-20 in the workshop of Leonhard Astl and is one of the most important and elaborate late Gothic winged altars in Upper Austria.
History of the altar
The exact history of its origins can no longer be clarified, as all documents were lost in a fire in the rectory in 1750. The altar was probably made between 1510 and 1520 by Leonhard Astl, whose name can be found in the relief of the circumcision of Jesus. Astl, a student of Michael Pacher, did not create it as the main altar of the parish church, but rather a so-called miner's altar, which was donated in connection with salt mining. It has its place in the right part of the double choir, while the left part is adorned by a neo-Gothic winged altar, the cross altar from the end of the 19th century.
The Marien Altar was restored in 1656, 1735, 1750, 1855, 1893–1895 and 1985. During the last restoration, after a detailed examination, it was found that the original condition has largely been preserved.
description
The altarpiece is 10.44 meters high and 4.94 meters wide with the wings open. The sculptures, reliefs and ornaments are carved from linden wood, the main shrine, casement frame, predella shrine and cracks are made of fir wood. The convertible altar has two movable pairs of wings, so that three different views can be presented according to the course of the church year. The shrine contains gilded sculptures and is flanked by shrine guards, the inner wings are decorated on both sides with gilded reliefs, the outer wings are fully painted.
Front side with closed wings
The altar was presented in this form on working days and especially during Lent. When the altar is closed, the shrine guards are visible, on the left side of the shrine the sculpture of St. George , on the right that of Florian . The front side shows paintings with motifs from the life of Jesus:
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Front side with open outer wings - half-open altar
At the first opening, scenes from the life of Mary and the childhood of Jesus become visible. They were mainly shown during Advent and Christmas. With this combination, the four relief representations in front of the main shrine are each flanked by two painting panels on the outer wings:
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The relief with Joachim and Anna contains two scenes. In the top left in the background, an angel announces the birth of Mary to Joachim, who is staying with his flock of sheep. This is followed in the foreground as the main scene of Joachim's encounter with his wife Anna at the Golden Gate. With the dream of St. Joseph we have a rarely depicted motif before us. Joseph had doubts whether he should take the pregnant Mary as his wife. Then an angel appeared to him in a dream and gave him the instruction to stay with Mary. On a banner that the angel is holding in his hands, his message is written in Latin, which, according to the standard translation, reads: Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary to you as your wife (Mt 1:20).
A half-height statue of the Virgin Mary can be placed on the pedestal in front of the inner wings. (See image)
Front side with open inner wings - completely open altar
The opening of the most splendidly designed front side was reserved for the high feast days, especially the Marian holidays.
wing
Show the open inner wings
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Birth of Mary (left wing above)
Depiction of Jesus (left wing below)
Annunciation (right wing above)
Death of Mary (right wing below)
Main shrine
The central position of Mary, who presents the baby Jesus in a semi-recumbent position in front of her breast, is emphasized by angels who hold a crown over her head and lift the hem of her robe. Other angels grab the curtains or make music. The crescent moon with a face under the feet of Mary shows that it is the depiction of Mary as a crescent moon . Katharina and Barbara are each surrounded by only one pair of angels.
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Catherine
Mary with child
Barbara
Predella
The predella contained a relief depicting the birth of Christ, which had to give way to the installation of the tabernacle around 1680/85 and has since disappeared. Along with the relief, the movable wings that could be used to close the predella were also removed. The two panels with pictures of saints have been preserved.
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Burst
The burst contains ten sculptures on two levels. The upper one is formed by a group of three, in which Christ as the Man of Sorrows is flanked by the evangelist John and Saint Nicholas (right). The central figure of the lower level is Christophorus . To his left follow Wolfgang , Dionysius and Philippus , to the right of Christophorus are Stephen and the apostles Andreas and Simon .
Blown up, upper level
Blown up, lower level
Back of the altar
The entire back of the altar is painted. The back of the shrine is divided into six fields, which are about the Last Judgment:
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On the back of the predella there is depicted Veronica's handkerchief, which is held by Peter on the left and Paul on the right.
literature
- Eva Maria Vancsa-Tironiek: winged altar in Hallstatt . Publishing house Hofstetter-Dia, Ried / Innkreis 1986.
- Ekkart Sauser: The Hallstatt Marien Altar by Master Astl . Publishing house of the Hallstatt Museum Association, Hallstatt 1956.
