Saint Mauritius (sculpture)
The Holy Mauritius is in fragments traditional sandstone sculpture and was built around 1240/50. Since 1955 it has been located in the choir of Magdeburg Cathedral . It is the earliest known depiction of a dark-skinned saint and is also one of the most impressive sculptures of the German Middle Ages.
Description of the work / iconography
The sandstone sculpture from the first half of the 13th century depicts Saint Mauritius as a “ Moor ” . It was composed in the piece technique style, which is why it was and is ascribed to the master of the Magdeburg rider , also known as the rider master originally painted in color. Since the 1960s, the Mauritius has stood on the inside of the choir square pillar, opposite the sculpture of St. Katharina , on a new pedestal.
The actual size of the work is estimated at around 150 cm, but since it only exists as a fragment, the sculpture has a final height of 115 cm.
The fragment that has survived is the torso of the sitter, the legs are cut off. That such was there can be clearly seen from the view from below of the statue, where the broken edges can still be seen. It is believed that the left leg was in a slightly forward position and the right leg was designed as a standing leg.
The torso shows a male person in a straight posture. The arms are close to the body, the right arm is bent at 90 ° and the hand is in the grip position. The left arm is also slightly bent, the hand is in front of the hip. The statue wears contemporary armor with chain mail, a leather breastplate over it and a skirt. The chain mail covers the entire body, including the hands. In addition to the armor, the sculpture originally carried a lance in its angled right hand, but this is no longer there, as is the shield that was probably on the left. Several dowel holes and bores on the hands indicate those missing pieces and the use of the piece technique. On top of that, the sculpture is also equipped with a defensive hanger on which there is a dagger on the right and the upper piece of a sword on the left, the rest of the sword has broken off. The skirt falls in many folds and with its end the fragment closes. The remains of paint on the sculpture refer to the following color scheme: The armor was originally gilded, the skirt was kept in a dark green on which even, golden four-leaves framed by red squares emerge.
After the fragment broke again, the head and shoulders were replaced in 1963. The head is enveloped by a helmet well, also made of chains . and only leaves the eyes, nose, mouth and a narrow part of the forehead free. The face shows the original color scheme most strongly: a bluish-black tone with thick red lips. The eyes show remnants of white paint and have a dark iris. His broad nose is slightly hammered in on her right side.
The sculpture was in 1943 as a protection against the Allied air attacks on Magdeburg on Schenk'sche estate in Flechtingen been outsourced
Work history
context
The historical classification of the statue of Mauritius turns out to be extremely difficult or even impossible, since the original context of the work is not known. The lack of knowledge about the actual location of the sculpture is due to the fact that the work was only found during the restoration of the cathedral between 1826 and 1834. It was found, like the sculpture of St. Catherine, in a wooden crate a choir chapel and it turned up in the choir chapel crown. As already mentioned, the sculpture has been on the inside of the choir square pillar since the 1960s.
Based on the knowledge about the posture of the no longer existing legs, it was assumed that the statue was a portal figure. But there are also theories that she acted as a couple figure with St. Katharina or that she formed part of the pictorial program of the north facade.
Fritz Bellmann developed a rood thesis for the original location of the statue, which is briefly explained below.
The rood thesis
With his rood thesis, Fritz Bellmann developed a concept according to which all the figures in the Younger Workshop in Magdeburg Cathedral were created for a rood screen. This is said to have been planned between the second pair of pillars in the central nave . In doing so, he was guided by a rood screen that had previously been there, which had been broken off in 1804, and a foundation documented at that point. For the Mauritius sculpture, Bellmann adopted a " side-framing arrangement ".
There was a lot of discussion about the riddle thesis and it was finally decided that it “ did not provide complete proof ”.
Stylistic assignment
Stylistically, the statue is assigned to the younger Magdeburg Dombauhütte , from which the dating around 1240/50 results. With the piece technique, as already mentioned, it is attributed to the master rider, who was probably active in the workshop and is also supposed to be responsible for the Magdeburg rider. Another reference to the younger cathedral builder is the particularly detailed and realistic execution of the armor of the Mauritius.
Since there is no comparable illustration of Mauritius, classifying the sculpture in terms of style and history is not easy.
Background of the sitter and his veneration in Magdeburg
Legend has it that Mauritius was the leader of the Theban Legion , which was asked to participate in the persecution of Christians. Since the Legion itself consisted only of Christians, they ignored the mandate. They were attacked on the orders of the emperor. Mauritius encouraged his army and strengthened their convictions so that they would not give in. So both he and his legion were killed.
St. Mauritius was the favorite saint of Emperor Otto the Great . Magdeburg became Otto's favorite place of residence and so he made the Grenzstapelplatz in Magdeburg the “ foster home of worship ” of Mauritius. With the growing importance and strength of the city, the worship of Mauritius also grew.
Role models and comparisons
The Bamberg knight's head
Johann Joseph Morper suspected that the knight's head from Bamberg Cathedral should have served as a model for the Magdeburg sculpture. As with the sculpture of Mauritius, the knight's head is a fragment. The head is also enclosed by a helmet well consisting of chains, but over which he wears a pointed helmet . Although the head is fair-skinned in contrast to the Magdeburg sculpture, Morper interpreted it as St. Mauritius.
Mauritius in the window painting of Naumburg Cathedral
In the west choir of Naumburg Cathedral there is a window painting depicting Mauritius. Gude Suckale-Redlefsen suspected that the stained glass was related to the sculpture of Magdeburg Cathedral. In this depiction, instead of armor, he wears a princely robe with a Suckenie . There is a sword and a shield in front of the left leg. The black curls protruding from under his cap are striking. The hands are bluish in color and the curls can indicate a dark-skinned characterization, which ultimately made the reference to the Maritius sculpture.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j H. Brandl: The sculptures of the 13th century in Magdeburg Cathedral , 2009, p. 226.
- ↑ a b Brandl, p. 152.
- ^ E. Schubert: Der Dom in Magdeburg , 1994, p. 66.
- ↑ U. Geese: Medieval sculpture in Germany, Austria and Switzerland , p. 90.
- ↑ a b c d H. Brandl: The Sculptures of the 13th Century in Magdeburg Cathedral , 2009, p. 151.
- ^ H. Brandl: The Sculptures of the 13th Century in the Magdeburg Cathedral, 2009, p. 227.
- ↑ a b E. Schubert: Der Magdeburg Cathedral , 1984, p. 210.
- ↑ Hildegard Bernick: The rescue of the choir stalls from the Magdeburg Cathedral 1943 to 1954 . Magdeburg and Erxleben. 2009 and 2016. p. 2
- ^ H. Brandl, The Sculptures of the 13th Century in the Magdeburg Cathedral, p. 157.
- ↑ Brandl quotes Bellmann in: The sculptures of the 13th century in the Magdeburg Cathedral , p. 158.
- ↑ a b c Brandl, p. 158.
- ↑ Brandl, p. 159.
- ↑ a b Brandl, p. 153.
- ^ AJ Herzberg: Der Heilige Mauritius , 1936, p. 10.
- ↑ a b Herzberg, p. 73.
- ↑ Brandl quotes Morper in: The sculptures of the 13th century in the Magdeburg Cathedral , p. 153.
- ↑ Brandl quotes Suckale-Redlefsen in: The sculptures of the 13th century in the Magdeburg Cathedral , p. 158.
literature
- Heiko Brandl: The sculptures of the 13th century in the Magdeburg Cathedral. To the sculptures of the older and younger workshop . State Office for Monument Preservation and Archeology Saxony-Anhalt, State Museum for Prehistory, Halle (Saale) 2009, ISBN 978-3-86568-533-9
- Uwe Geese: Medieval sculpture in Germany, Austria and Switzerland , Petersberg: Imhof Verl. 2007, ISBN 3-86568-153-0
- Adalbert Joseph Herzberg: The holy Mauritius. A contribution to the history of the German worship of Mauritius , Düsseldorf: Schwann 1936
- Ernst Schubert: The Magdeburg Cathedral , Leipzig: Koehler and Amelang 1984
- Ernst Schubert: The Magdeburg Cathedral , 1994
