Master of Müstair

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Cycle of frescoes in the Johanneskirche in Müstair ; Apostle figure (detail), around 800

As a master of Müstair an unnamed known early medieval painter is referred to, by or under the line 800 to the John Church in Müstair in Munster in the Swiss Canton Grisons was painted.

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The church is part of the St. Johann Benedictine Convent , a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983 . The master's cycle of frescoes is the most extensive and best-preserved example of the few remaining wall paintings from the Carolingian era. It was probably made between 785 and 795. Originally the cycle covered the choir and all the walls of the church in five horizontal strips.

A large part of the Carolingian pictures remained in their original state, as the church complex was never destroyed and only changed in pieces. The master's works were repainted around 1200 in a high medieval style. Some of the scenes on the west wall were lost around 1500 due to the installation of a gallery . The frescoes were whitewashed around 1200, rediscovered in 1884 and, above all, exposed from 1947 to 1951. The east wall and pictures in the three apses remained in their painted over form.

The master shows a number of scenes from the Old Testament about King David as well as from the life of John the Baptist . Mainly the pictures tell about life and passion and the resurrection of Christ. The painter was able to present a Christian salvation story in pictures to the observer who was mostly ignorant of reading.

A comparison of the master’s works with later overpaintings shows the development of early medieval painting with its fine ocher and red tones around 800 to the stronger coloring in bright colors of the High Middle Ages around 1200.

  • Escape to Egypt, around 800

  • Jesus heals the deaf and mute

  • Jesus and the children

  • Christ ascends into the realm of death

literature

  • J. Zemp- R. Durrer: The St. Johann monastery in Müstair in Graubünden . Geneva 1906–1910
  • L. Birchler: On Carolingian architecture and painting in Müstair-Münster . In: Early Medieval Art in the Alpine Countries, files of the 3rd International Congress for Early Medieval Research. Olten 1954, p167-252
  • J. Hubert, J. Porcher, WF Volbach: Europe in the Dark Ages . London 1969
  • l. Müller: History of the Müstair Monastery . Disentis 1982
  • A. Wyss, H. Rutishauser, M. Nay, Kantonale Denkmalpflege Graubünden (Ed.): The medieval wall paintings in the Müstair monastery: Basics for conservation and care . Zurich 2001
  • H. Rutishauser, HR Sennhauser, M. Sennhauser-Girard: The St. Johann Benedictine Monastery in Müstair (Swiss art guide of the Society for Swiss Art History). Bern 2003.
  • J. Goll, M. Exner, S. Hirsch: Müstair - The medieval murals in the monastery church . Munich, 2007

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ for example in DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH (ed.): The Yorck Project: 10,000 masterpieces of painting. DVD-ROM, 2002
personal data
SURNAME Master of Müstair
BRIEF DESCRIPTION early medieval painter
DATE OF BIRTH 12th Century
DATE OF DEATH 12th century or 13th century