Hinrik Funhof

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Funhof: Maria in the ear dress

Hinrik Funhof († 1485 in Hamburg ) was a North German painter of the late Gothic period . Carl Georg Heise , who was the first to work on the painting of Funhof in 1918, counts Funhof together with Master Bertram and Master Francke among the highlights of Hamburg painting of their time. Funhof's four panels on the high altar of St. John's Church in Lüneburg are among the most valuable Lower Saxony paintings of the second half of the 15th century in terms of quality and state of preservation.

Life

Hinrik Funhof seems to have been of Westphalian origin. He probably came from the city of Werne , today the Unna district . The wealthy, middle-class Funhof (Vunhoff) family could already be identified there in the 15th century. The name was apparently derived from the location of the farm on the Funne and is only traceable in the Werne area. Since the first name Hinrik does not appear in any of the documents received there, it is speculated whether his father was already a resident in Hamburg, especially since Hinrik's sister Kyneke lived there.

Hinrik Funhof was first mentioned in documents in 1475 when he had received a payment from the council.

The assumption that Funhof married Gherburg Bornemann, the widow of Hans Bornemann (1473/74), and thereby took over his office as a painter, has not been clearly established. So went Johann Martin Lappenberg assume that Funhof got married instead the widow Bornemann one of her daughters. After Funhoff's death in 1485, Gherburg took Absolon Stumme as his second husband.

It is certain that Funhof was an elder of the brotherhood of St. Thomas Aquinas from 1480 to 1482 .

The Hamburg city bills show that Funhof carried out numerous commissions for the city council from 1475 to 1483 - small and large works mostly for practical use, such as 1475 pictures on shields and flags. In 1483 Funhof painted a flag for the St. Marien Church. There is also documentary evidence between 1479 and 1484 that there were larger payments for an altarpiece in St. George's Church, which is no longer known today.

At the same time, Funhof probably painted a Maria in the ear dress (Hamburger Kunsthalle)

In 1484 and 1485 Funhof received payments from the Brotherhood of Our Lady Coronation for a work in the Hamburg Cathedral . Since the amount was paid to Funhof's wife in 1485, the painter must have died around the turn of the year - possibly of the plague . His death is confirmed in the Book of the Dead of the St. Joost Brotherhood in the spring of 1485.

The Funhofweg in Hamburg-Barmbek is named after him.

style

On the basis of stylistic comparisons, the art historians assume that Funhof must have spent his wandering years in the Netherlands . The influence of Dierk Bouts on the altar panels in Lüneburg's Johanniskirche was established very early on . This long before Funhof's authorship was established. According to Carl Georg Heise, Funhof worked in Bout's workshop. Others also consider Memling's influence to be significant. Funhof learned the "assembly technique" from Memling, the merging of different picture narratives that are structured by an architectural framework. The ideal of beauty for slim women could also have been adopted by Memling, if not Rogier van der Weyden .

effect

Funhof's influence on the introduction of Dutch display principles in Hamburg and their transformation into a local, Low German design language is undisputed.

Works (selection)

Only a few of Funhof's works have survived, including

literature

personal data
SURNAME Funhof, Hinrik
BRIEF DESCRIPTION North German painter of the late Gothic period
DATE OF BIRTH 15th century
DATE OF DEATH 1485
Place of death Hamburg