Stephan Dorfmeister

Stephan Dorfmeister (also Stephan Dorffmaister ; in Hungary István Dorfmeister or Dorffmaister , often Dorffmeister in his portraits , * 1729 in Vienna ; † May 29, 1797 in Ödenburg ) was an Austrian painter whose works mainly originated in Burgenland and Transdanubia .

Presumed self-portrait of the village master in the picture “Saint Luke paints his vision” (detail) 1785

Life

The exact year of birth of the village master is unclear. The year 1729 is most likely to be assumed, based on the church death registers of the city of Ödenburg. The Hungarian biographical encyclopedia gives 1725 as the year of birth. He grew up under the care of his parents Johann Christof Georg Dorfmeister (1705–1789) and Elisabeth Josefa, geb. Millner in Vienna and was the oldest of five children. His youngest brother was Johann Georg Dorfmeister , a sculptor of the Austrian late baroque.

In October 1751 Stephan studied at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts until 1758, where Paul Troger , the rector of the academy, and Caspar Franz Sambach were his teachers. He later became a foreign member of the academy; at least that's what he called himself since 1769. However, there are no documents about this at the Vienna Academy. After he had acquired the fresco technique in 1760, he received an order from Father Schrabl, the provost of the Premonstratensian Abbey of Gschirna (Hungarian Csorna) in Ödenburg County to paint the monastery church. In 1761 he worked in the newly built Premonstratensian monastery Türje . In 1762 he moved to Ödenburg, but never became a citizen of the city; probably in order to circumvent the resulting obligations such as arms service. During this time he married his wife Anna Franz, who had nine children. After her death in 1790 he married Katharina Gillig.

Dorfmeister mainly worked in what is now western Hungary. His clients were mainly the bishops of Steinamanger , Fünfkirchen , the monasteries of the region and the petty nobility.

His three eldest sons worked with him in his artist workshop, so the eldest, Stephan Joseph Dorfmeister the Younger (* 1764) took part in commissions in Sankt Gotthard . The works in Nempthy , Csesztreg, Galambok and Gelse, signed with Stephan Dorfmeister after 1797 , are also part of his son's oeuvre. His second son, Joseph Paul Stephan Dorfmeister (* 1770), stayed in his workshop until his death and completed his father's last picture, the Magotsch altarpiece , in 1798.

Memorial plaque on the Heilig-Geist-Kirche in Dorfmeister-Strasse, Ödenburg

Dorfmeister was plagued by financial worries throughout his life, when he died on May 29, 1797 in Ödenburg, he left his family in debt despite a busy life.

Artistic career

Dorfmeister initially painted his works in the typical style of the Austrian late baroque. The role model was Franz Anton Maulbertsch , for whom Dorfmeister worked in his youth. In his first major works in Gschirna and Türje (1760/61) a stylistic uncertainty caused by youth can still be recognized, but his figures appear powerful and lifelike. During this time, Dorfmeister oriented himself exclusively towards the Viennese academic painting of the first half and the middle of the 18th century.

From 1780 there was a change in style in his works. In the following years he reached the peak of his artistic performance and expressiveness: The Hungarian art historian László Kostyál writes: “His rococo-shaped 'Viennese academicism' changed due to the demands of the client and the slow metamorphosis of painterly taste that began at that time. There is a peculiar reflection and mixing of two style epochs. ”With the painting of the parish church in Nova (near Lenti , Hungary), Dorfmeister created a masterpiece, on the basis of which he received numerous commissions from bishops and monasteries. The influence of Rubens and the Italian Baroque of Titian and the Tintorettos are clearly visible in these ecclesiastical works . His last great works, such as the ceiling paintings in the episcopal palace in Steinamanger under Bishop János (Johann) Szily 1784/85, are already approaching classicism.

Works

Many profane buildings decorated by Dorfmeister were demolished in the 19th century, when the baroque style went out of fashion, and thus the works of Dorfmeister were also destroyed. Only nine of these works have survived to this day, such as the state hall in Nádasdy Castle in Kotenburg an der Raab , the decoration of Hegyfalu Castle near Kotenburg ("the seven wonders of the world"), the painting of the German Theater in Ödenburg and work on the episcopal palace in Saint Gotthard. However, numerous religious works have been preserved in the churches and monasteries of western Hungary; there are also about fifty portraits that are attributed to village masters.

Selection:

year	plant	annotation
1760	Csorna, Premonstratensian Propstei. Frescoes in the church and in the festival hall of the provost's office	His first fresco, destroyed by fire in 1790
1761-64	Türje, Premonstratensian Monastery Monastery Church of the Annunciation; Frescoes and altarpieces	Frescoes in the choir and chancel (Jesus' presentation in the temple; the queen of heaven; the four evangelists; all 1762/63). Some of the frescoes were later whitewashed. Main altarpiece of the Annunciation; it is now in the museum in Steinamanger, and a copy hangs in the church. The side altar paintings Sankt Norbert and Sankt Augustin (all oil on canvas) were brought to the Premonstratensian House in Steinamanger during a renovation around 1900. Its current location is not known.
1761-1764	St. Anna Chapel in Türje ; Frescoes	Among other things, the allegorical representation of "Faith, Love and Hope" as well as Saint Anne and scenes from her life. In the dome there is a representation of the birth of Jesus.
1762	Portrait Still Life Vanitas (transience); Oil on canvas	His first portrait; privately owned
1767	Kleinmariazell , Benedictine Church. Saint John Nepomuk (right side altar painting), oil on canvas.	Here he signed for the first time as "Dorffmeister".
1769	Kotenburg adRaab, Nádasdy Castle. Frescoes in the ballroom and in the tower room. Depiction of Old Testament scenes; u. a. Mordechai and Ester , Samson and Delila , David and Goliath , Ahasver and Ester, Josue, Judith and Holofernes , Jahel and Sisera , offering of Gedeon , The Unction of David to the King (banquet hall).	Here Dorfmeister signed his frescoes for the first time as a member of the Vienna Art Academy: St. Dorffmaister pinxit, ex. Casa Reg. Vien. Academia / Ano 1769
1770	Eisenstadt , refectory of the Franciscan monastery. Oil paintings and frescoes	I.a. the last supper, St. Anthony of Padua , St. Francis
1771/72	Gutatöttös, parish church of St. Cäcilia . Altarpieces and frescoes: The death of St. Anne , St. Joseph (altar paintings), scenes from the legend of St. Cecilia and her apotheosis (frescoes)	Gutatöttös is now part of the municipality Rábatöttös, Steinamanger small area, Vas county .
1772	Mesztegnyö, Franciscan monastery church. Altarpieces and frescoes: u. a. St. Nepomuk, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Francis of Assisi.	Most of the frescoes were badly damaged in World War II and some were whitened. Mesztegnyö located in County Somogy .
1772	Ödenburg, chapel of the Voss orphanage: altarpiece of the Adoration of the Magi; Oil on canvas; Frescoes on the Weismandl House	The “Adoration of the Magi” is now in the Museum of Sopron. See picture gallery below for illustration.
1773	Nebersdorf, (community Großwarasdorf ), ballroom of the Niczky Palace. Deck fresco: The Gods of Olympus (The Fall of Phaeton ).	His related sketches can be found in the Museum of Ödenburg.
1773	Portrait of a man from the Szalay family; Oil on canvas.	The picture is now in the Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest. See picture gallery below for illustration.
1773	Portrait of a woman from the Szalay family; Oil on canvas.	The picture is now in the Hungarian National Gallery, Budapest. See picture gallery below for illustration.
1773	Rábahídvég ( Vasvár parish , German: Eisenburg), parish church of St. Joseph, altarpieces and frescoes: Saint Joseph with the baby Jesus, Mater Dolorosa	Here, Dorfmeister signed a painting for the first time as a member of the Vienna Art Academy: Stepha. Dorffmaister pinxit Ex. Cas. Reg.Vienen Académie 1773 . The frescoes were whitened after the Second World War.
1774	Hungarian Altenburg , Franciscan Church. Ceiling frescoes: Mary with St. Dominic , The conversion of Saul and his arrival in Damascus.	The "Adoration of the Magi" is now in the Museum of Sopron.
1774	Sitke, Sárvár parish parish church. Main altarpiece: Holy Trinity; Oil on canvas.	His related sketches are in the Episcopal Palace in Steinamanger.
1775	Portrait of the master shepherd Johann Hochenecker; Oil on canvas.	The portrait hangs today in the Museum Ödenburg. See picture gallery below for illustration.
1775	Portrait of the city governor Jakob Kamper; Oil on canvas.	The portrait hangs today in the Museum Ödenburg. See picture gallery below for illustration.
1775/76	Császár (German: Kaiserdorf), parish church. Altarpieces: Farewell to Peter and Paul , Patrona Hungariae, The Adoration of the Magi, St. Nepomuk; all oil on canvas. Frescoes:, Holy Trinity, handing over of keys to Peter, sermon of Paul, baptism of Christ, St. George , St. Michael .	Császár is located in the Kisbér Small Region , Komárom-Esztergom County .
1776	Parish Church of Tótpál. Main altarpiece: St. Anthony of Padua; Oil on canvas.	Tótpál is now part of the Somogyszentpál municipality in the Marcali small area , Somogy county.
1776	The portraits of Count István Niczky, Count Ádám Orsich and Count Johannes Nepomuk von Orsich; all oil on canvas.	All three paintings are now in the Croatian Historical Museum in Zagreb.
1777	Eisenstadt, St. Martin's Cathedral . The Transfiguration of St. Martin ; Oil on canvas.	A similar picture can be found in the Steinamanger Cathedral. The village master's frescoes in the cathedral sacristy are largely destroyed. See picture gallery below for illustration.
1779	Himesháza (German: Nimmersch) parish church in Kisboldogasszony. Altarpieces: Birth of the Virgin Mary (main altarpiece), The Dream of St. Anthony of Padua; both oil on canvas.	Himesháza is a municipality in the county Baranya in the small area Mohács .
1779	Bakonybél , Benedictine Abbey of St. Mauricius. Altarpiece: Coming home from Egypt; Oil on canvas.	Bakonybél is in Veszprém county; Small area Zirc .
1779	Wolfs (Hungarian Balf), bathing chapel St. Wolfs (Hungarian Sz. Farkas) main altarpiece St. Joseph; Side altar picture Mary, the betrothed of the Holy Spirit and the frescoes Choir of Angels and Jesus heals the sick.	Wolfs is now a district of Ödenburg.
1780	Parish Church of St. Ladislaus, Zanat: Apotheosis of St. Ladislaus , oil on canvas.	Zanat is now a district of Steinamanger.
1780	Heilig-Geist-Kirche Ödenburg: Pieta; Christ on the cross, oil on canvas.
1780	Portrait of Count György Niczky in a rower's robe. Oil on canvas.	The picture is in the Historical Picture Gallery of the Hungarian National Museum, Budapest.
1780	Portrait of Borbála Barkóczy, the daughter of Baron Ferenc Barkóczy. Oil on canvas.	The portrait hangs today in the János Xántus Museum in Raab . See picture gallery below for illustration.
1781	Szigetvár (German: Inselburg), in Baranya County, parish church of St. Rochus : Saint John Nepomuk, oil on canvas.	The church was a mosque until the 16th century.
1781	Altarpiece in St. George's Church in Ödenburg: miraculous image of Mary, mother of good advice, oil on canvas.
1782	Altarpiece of the Heilig-Geist-Kirche in Ödenburg: The Whitsun miracle; Oil on canvas.	The picture is now in the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest. See picture gallery below for illustration.
1784	Ceiling fresco in the Cistercian Church of St. Gotthard: The Battle of St. Gotthard 1664.	See picture gallery below for illustration.
1785	Calvary: Christ on the cross. Oil on copper plate.	The picture is now in the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest. See picture gallery below for illustration.
1785	Gálosfa, Parish Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord: Saint Luke paints his vision. Oil on canvas.	Gálosfa is a Hungarian municipality in Somogy County. It belongs to the Kaposvár small area . The painting hung in the old cemetery chapel until 1810. It is believed that Dorfmeister portrayed himself here as St. Luke. See picture gallery below for illustration.
1787	Fünfkirchen (Pécs), Episcopal Palace: The Conversion of Saul, oil on canvas.	Here, Dorfmeister used Rubens' picture as a model.
1787	Portrait of King Ludwig II of Hungary, oil on canvas.	The picture is now in the Kanizsai Dorottya Museum, Mohatsch . József Borsos used it as a template for his portrait of Ludwig in 1838. See picture gallery below for illustration.
1788	Altarpieces for the Church of Our Lady Visitation in Szarvaskend, Körmend small area : The encounter of the Virgin Mary with Elisabeth (main image) and Saint Anne instructing the Virgin Mary (small altarpiece). Oil on canvas.
1790	Portrait of the Freemason Count György Niczky; Oil on canvas.	The picture is now in the Historical Picture Gallery of the Hungarian National Museum, Budapest. See picture gallery below for illustration.
1790	Christ on the Cross; Oil on canvas.	The picture is now in the collection of the Catholic Convention in Ödenburg.
1792	Countess Antalné Jankovich b. Katalin Kiss on the bier; Oil on canvas.	The first stretcher image of the village master. It is now in the Xantus János Museum in Raab .
1792	The baptism of Christ; Oil on canvas; privately owned.	Originally the picture hung in a side altar of the cathedral in Steinamanger. The corresponding second picture "Stephen the Holy" was lost.
1793	Christ on the Cross; Oil on canvas; today in the Göcsejer Museum Egersee .	The picture originally hung in the county hall.
1793	Ceiling fresco in the parish church of Kiskomárom : Andrew I restores Christianity.	The sketch for the fresco is in the Museum Ödenburg. Today Kiskomárom is part of the large municipality of Zalakomár in Zala county . See picture gallery below for illustration.
1794	Main altar painting of the parish church in Dürnbach, today Schachendorf in Burgenland: Assumption of Mary, oil on canvas.	The picture is considered to be one of the major works of its last epoch. The sketch can be found in the Ödenburg City Museum.
1795-96	Abbot Marian Reutter with the teachers of the Steinamanger Lyceum; Oil on canvas.	The picture originally hung in the ballroom of the Cistercian Abbey of St. Gotthardt (Szentgotthard) and is now in the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest. See picture gallery below for illustration.
1795-96	King Bela III. founds the Cistercian monastery of St. Gotthard in 1183; Oil on canvas. See picture gallery below for illustration.	The picture originally hung in the Cistercian Abbey of St. Gotthardt (Szentgotthard) and is now in the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest.
1795-96	Emperor Charles VI. gives Abbot Robert Leeb the deed of donation for St. Gotthard; Oil on canvas.	The picture is now in Heiligenkreuz Abbey , Lower Austria. See picture gallery below for illustration.
1795-96	The death of Ludwig II of Hungary in the battle of Mohatsch in 1526; Oil on canvas.	The picture is in the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest. See picture gallery below for illustration.
1797-98	Parish church of St. John Nepomuk in Magotsch, today Heimasch , district of Hegyhát: St. John Nepomuk among the poor; Oil on canvas.	last work by Dorfmeister. Because of his death, the picture was completed by his second eldest son Joseph Paul Stephan Dorfmeister.

Picture gallery

• 

  1772: Ödenburg, chapel of the Voss orphanage: Altarpiece depicting the Adoration of the Kings

• 

  1773: Portrait of a man from the Szalay family

• 

  1773: Portrait of a woman from the Szalay family

• 

  1775: Portrait of the city governor Jakob Kamper

• 

  1775: Portrait of the master shepherd Johann Hochenecker

• 

  1778: Eisenstadt, St. Martin Cathedral. The Transfiguration of St. Martin

• 

  1780: Portrait of Borbála Barkóczy

• 

  1782: Ödenburg, Heilig-Geist-Kirche: The Whitsun miracle

• 

  1784 fresco: The Battle of St. Gotthard 1664

• 

  1785: Saint Luke paints his vision (detail)

• 

  1785: Kalvarienberg: Christ on the cross.

• 

  1787: Portrait of King Ludwig II of Hungary

• 

  1790: Portrait of the Freemason Count György Niczky

• 

  1793: Ceiling fresco in the parish church of Kiskomárom: Andrew I restores Christianity.

• 

  1794–95: The abbot Marian Reutter with the teachers of the Steinamanger Lyceum.

• 

  1795–96: Emperor Karl VI. presents Abbot Robert Leeb with the St. Gotthard deed of gift.

• 

  1795–96: The death of Ludwig II of Hungary in the battle of Mohatsch in 1526

• 

  1796: King Béla III. founds the Cistercian monastery of St. Gotthard in 1183

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Művészeti Lexikon (Eds. Zádor, Anna - Genthon, István) Budapest 1965, Vol. IS 559 (article by Endre Csatkai)
2. ↑ Karoly Garas: A soproni Edlinger ház és Gregorio Guglielmi [The Edlinger house in Sopron (Sopron) and Gregorio Guglielmi]. In: Tanulmányok Csatkai Endre emlékére [Studies in memóriám Endre Csatkai]. Eds. Környei, A. - G. Szende, K. Sopron 1996, 182 / note. 21st
3. ↑ Művészeti Lexicon (eds. Zádor, Anna - Genthon, István) Budapest 1965, Vol. IS 253-256.
4. ↑ Művészeti Lexikon (Eds. Zádor, Anna - Genthon, István) Budapest 1965, Bd.IS 259–261 (article by Endre Csatkai)
5. ↑ László KOSTYAL and Monika Zsámbéky in "Stephen Dorffmaister pinxit", eds. by Fabényi Júlia Vándor László; Szombathely, 1998

literature

• M. Fábián: Dorffmaister István múvészi munkássága a szombathelyi egyházmegyében (German: Stephen Dorffmaister artistic work in the diocese of Steinamanger), Szombathely, 1936.
• Gy. Géfin: A Szombathelyi székesegyház (German: The Cathedral of Steinamanger), Szombathely, 1945.
• L. Kostyál and M. Zsámbéky: Catalog "Stephanus Dorffmaister pinxit"; Memorial exhibition by Stephan Dorffmaister, Szombathely, 1998.