King's Head (Museum Schnütgen)
The king's head from the Epiphany window of Cologne Cathedral is a fragment of a leaded glass window that was created by an unknown artist between 1315 and 1320. The disk came into the collection of Alexander Schnütgen in 1901 and is now in the Museum Schnütgen in Cologne .
origin
The disc, 20 cm high and 16 cm wide, comes from the apex chapel of Cologne Cathedral . During the restoration of the windows in the years 1891 to 1908 under the direction of the cathedral capitular Alexander Schnütgen, medieval glasses - even those that were only slightly damaged - were replaced by copies, because instead of conservation, the emphasis was primarily on restoring and producing a "perfect medieval work of art". Two thirds of the historical glass inventory of the Epiphany Window was removed during this restoration. Schnütgen added the fragment of the king's head to his collection as worth preserving.
The Epiphany window from the Adoration of the Magi , was from 1315 when installing windscreens of ambulatory been created. The coat of arms in the upper part of the window refers to the founder Sophia Overstolz .
description
The king's head is an example of the "beautiful, flowing style" of high Gothic Cologne stained glass. He is one of the youngest of the three kings depicted on the window. The watchful gaze of the youthful, beardless head with a slight smile is turned to the right. Wavy hair covers both ears. As a king, the person depicted can be recognized by the crown and the ermine collar . The head type is also recognizable in the Cologne panel painting of the time.
The face and neck are original, the rest are modern additions. There is a black solder painting on the front of the thick and slightly wavy glass .
literature
- Brigitte Lymant: The stained glass of the Schnütgen Museum . Schnütgen Museum, Cologne 1983.
- Heavenly light: European stained glass in the century of Cologne cathedral building (1248-1349). Exhibition catalog Schnütgen Museum Cologne, 1998, ISBN 978-3932800023 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Himmelslicht: European glass painting in the century of the Cologne cathedral building (1248-1349). Exhibition catalog Schnütgen Museum Cologne, 1998, ISBN 978-3932800023 , pp. 312-313