Radiant Madonna (Aachen Cathedral)
The work of art known today as the Radiant Madonna is a double sculpture of Our Lady with Child in the choir hall of Aachen Cathedral . It was in 1524 by the Limburg Maastricht -based woodcarver Jan van Steffeswert put together (1465-1531) and to the worship of Mary in high, 1414 inaugurated choir secured the Aachen Cathedral. Today the ensemble has a high priority in the ranking of the precious works of art in the church treasury of the cathedral church. The Madonna sculptures that were created adorned the Gothic choir of the cathedral from time immemorial , with the angels front of the Radiant Madonna (also known as the Crescent Madonna ) facing the octagon and the Madonna on the back facing the altar that was set up in the apse of the choir. However, today's presentation of the double portrait is essentially the original form of the early 16th century and has since taken the same place in the choir of the Aachen Cathedral.
Creation context and client
A document from the Düsseldorf State Archives shows that shortly after the coronation of Charles IV as Roman King in Aachen Cathedral, the chapter of the Marienstift there decided to build the choir hall. In the document, among others, Provost Gerhard von Virneburg (later also Canon of Cologne ) justified the decision that the steadily growing crowd of pilgrims could no longer be managed by the Palatinate Chapel .
The then realized magnificent building was filled with art treasures of a sacred or profane kind, some of which adorned the Aachen Minster as early as Carolingian times. These include well-known foundations such as the Heinrich pulpit from the 11th century or the Barbarossa chandelier from the 12th century. In 1524, the radiant wreath madonnas by the artist Steffeswert were added to the many treasures. Possibly the work of art was created as a commission from a sponsor to the Aachen Marienstift, or the monastery chapter itself was the client, because the front of the work of art shows the unmistakable coat of arms of the monastery.
Investigations and restoration 1996–1998
In the late autumn of 1996 structural renovation work began on and in the Aachen choir hall of the cathedral. In the course of the preparatory measures, the sculpture of the double Madonna floating in the choir was removed in November 1996 and transported away for the planned restoration. The planned security measures and investigations of the Madonna ensemble, which continued until 1999, were considered to be urgently required and were of various kinds. They included securing the current color version of the image, the condition of the rods. To this end, the inventory of all components of the work of art, which is still late Gothic, was checked. The reports on what is possibly the most thorough “inspection” of this work of art are based on the knowledge of well-known experts and the results of previously non-existent technical investigations. The completeness of the reports covers the creation of the work, but also the changes to it that were made in several epochs . They are also clearly and conclusively represented in the chronology.
Late Gothic sculpture ensemble
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Steffeswert's work of art was probably initially referred to as the “Rosary Madonna” or, in keeping with the times, it was simply referred to as the portrait of Our Lady . In the Aachen case, the names common in Christian iconography include an ensemble of artistic carvings made of oak , behind which the artist applied his master's mark - an A painted in black - to various places on the front Madonna. This signature, but also stamped Roman numerals, can be found both on the fully formed angels wearing coats of arms, as well as in many other works by Steffeswert. In the case of the individual parts of the ensemble, they provide evidence of their coherent development and also confirm the chronological classification of the work made in a dendrochronological examination of the wood material.
Dimensions and manufacture
The dimensions of the ensemble, including the cloud border and halo, are given as 286 × 223 cm, with the size of the Madonnas given as a height of 172 cm per figure. Therefore, the dimensions of the angel figures can be seen from a comparison of the body proportions . The large bores in the calottes of the head parts and the smaller holes in the area of the standing surfaces, which are typically left by a double spike, could be found in six of the seven figures in the ensemble. The number and placement of these drill holes shows that all workpieces were clamped in a workbench for the carving process. Some of them are repeated, presumably in order to turn the workpiece a little, and so the Madonna on the front is even offset by several centimeters. What all the figures had in common was that missing extremities were only bluntly attached at a later point in time , the prepared glue areas of which were hidden in depressions or folds and were partially screwed or dowelled there. In contrast to some of the angels, the figures of the Madonnas were only modeled in the visible area, so that their respective backs remained completely flat for the time being, but in order to avoid the formation of cracks, they were early to a circumferential edge of about 8 cm with the help of gouges or Badger hatchet has been hollowed out. This enabled the two roughly life-size Madonna portraits, which were executed in the manner of a high relief , to be easily connected as bowls by an iron strap and then pointed with the front and back in a desired direction. This was done with the help of rods fastened in the vault, the manufacture of which also belongs to the late Gothic period.
Material and dating
Oak was found to be the wood material used for all sculptures in the ensemble , whereby dendrochronological studies by an institute commissioned by the University of Hamburg showed that the tree trunk felled in western Germany was felled around 1489 at the earliest. A slight time deviation to a later felling year was not ruled out, however, since the annual rings of the tree trunk - the diameter of which was estimated at 80 cm - could not all be recorded. It was also found that the selection of the work blocks to be processed had a uniform direction along the grain, extending over the required length of the respective sculpture. According to the experts, Steffeswert only used good wood material, processing of sapwood was not verifiable.
The suspension of the sculpture, an iron rod anchored in the choir vault consisting of several segments, the rigidity of which was softened by the joints hidden in gilded hollow spheres made of chased brass sheet, was essentially original. The material used and good craftsmanship not only survived centuries, but also the Aachen city fire of 1656.
City fire and dilapidation of the minster
The creation of the Radiant Madonna coincided with a renewed heyday of pilgrimage , which was triggered by the coronation of Charles V in 1520. The city fire of 1656 with its destruction, which also severely damaged the choir hall (and also destroyed individual details of the group of figures) and the coronations moved to Frankfurt in 1562 , caused the flow of pilgrims to dry up and at the same time a loss of importance for the cathedral and the city. The loss of the previous number of pilgrims and the resulting dwindling sources of money had an extremely negative effect on the building maintenance of the minster. Static deficiencies in the buttresses had also set in, which in 1666 led to a crack in the arch above the choir polygon . It is not known whether Steffeswert's 150 kg painting fell or was removed ten years earlier during the fire damage or now - without taking into account the weight of the rods itself. Damage from a crash, the traces of which could still have been proven today, could not be ascertained. Nothing is known about the whereabouts of the work of art until its restoration in 1685.
Changes 1685
During the most recent examinations of the work of art, carvings, smoothed areas, notches, holes, broken dowels, former nail marks and black paint markings were found on individual sculptures, which were meaningless without reference to the arrangement created in 1685. The experts therefore traced these traces back to the time when the original compilation was made. Based on this knowledge and the description left by Noppius , which indicated additional figures of the Madonnas, it is assumed that parts of the original ensemble have been lost. Large areas of painted press brocade in the clothing, which had disappeared to the point of the sticky ground and had to be replaced, were also destroyed.
The scroll of the upper angel on the wreath of clouds and the shields of the lower pair of angels were subsequently given an inscription that was executed in early humanist capital . The three parts of the text:
"Deodorant / Angelis / et hominibus"
result in the translation of the praise of Our Lady "chosen by God before angels and men".
A few other changes to the original condition were found, which allow conclusions to be drawn about the arrangement of the medieval group of figures. The five angels, two of which were sculpted all around (probably the lowest, those closest to the viewer), most likely always adorned the front portrait of the Madonna. However, various former attachment marks (again empty nail holes, dowel marks and imprints of flat iron connections found in the wood) indicate that the position of the angels today could have been significantly different in the past. In addition, they now received wings made of poplar wood and attributes. The scepter of the upper left angel comes from the 17th century, but the crown held by the upper right angel is, according to the latest investigation, a work of the supplement from 1821/25.
A mounting plate made of weight-saving poplar wood, oval shaped and gilded, is a work of the first known restoration in 1685, which was fastened all around with alternating straight and wavy beams. The previous halo , the attachment of which left numerous nail marks on the smoothed edge of the back of the Madonna, was now attached to the base plate, but otherwise only marginally changed. The Marian figures were surrounded on both sides by wreaths of blue colored clouds that matched the outer border. For the border of the wreath, limewood was used at the front and the back was made with simple, cut-out board material similar to the base plate. The front was also given a three-dimensional golden crescent moon, around which a blue-colored snake winds, which also received red dots. The lower end of the front side is a crowned coat of arms, on the back of which the evidence for the year of restoration of the work of art was found. The restorer at that time left an inscription with the note "Renovatum 1685". With the arrangement created in this way, damage to the ensemble was necessarily repaired. The changes made met the baroque taste of the time, but no longer corresponded to the artist's ideas. Further restorations have followed since the baroque edits, mostly showing changes in the color scheme.
Changes 1782 / 1821–1825
The changes following the baroque style were revised, which essentially concentrated on the colors gold and white in order to adapt to the white and gold stucco work in the interior. However, some things have been left in the 1685 version. Apparently only small jobs were carried out in the first quarter of the 19th century. This includes work on the angel wings and on the crown in the hands of the angel mentioned above. There was no report of any impairment of the Madonna ensemble during French rule.
New version from 1849
This processing was called over-painting (overpainting), and the result is heavily criticized from today's perspective. It took place in 1849 under the direction of government and building counselor Theodor August Stein, who commissioned the painters Thomas and Bein as restorers, who then carried out a pentimenti . It is true that the colors of their work corresponded to contemporary tastes, but in terms of their design and technical quality they are said not to have lived up to the value of the ensemble.
Repairs made in 1916–1922
During the First World War in October 1916, renovation work began on the choir hall of Aachen Cathedral. The work in the choir also dealt with its vault. Anton Bardenhewer gilded the keystones, and the subsequent rib approaches were given a new version in the colors blue, red and gold over a length of 2.50 m. He adapted them to the pattern of Gothic cathedrals in France.
As a precaution, the group of figures was removed for the time of this work, which cathedral builder Joseph Buchkremer also used for studies. The opportunity arose to carry out a restoration of the ensemble. Compared to the previous restoration work, those carried out during the First World War had a completely different objective. An attempt was now made to bring about a state of the work of art that was considered to be “corresponding to the original”. The results achieved by 1922 are now considered unsuccessful.
Second World War
The Second World War, survived the Steffeswerts work without prejudice. As a precaution, it was removed in good time and brought to safety. Only the empty halo was left at its regular place in the choir of the Aachen cathedral.
Review after the end of the war
After the penultimate major examination of the work of art in 1946, only minor works were carried out, such as B. gluing on some angel wings, color renewals in places of the outer Madonna mantles and securing the cloud setting with a colorless binder.
Presentation in the cathedral treasury
The restorations from 1996 to 1998 mentioned at the beginning concluded with an exhibition in 1998, at which all restored figures of the ensemble were shown to the public in the treasury of Aachen Cathedral . The catalog below was published to accompany the exhibition in the same year.
literature
- Gisbert Knopp, Ulrike Heckner: The Gothic choir hall of Aachen Cathedral and its equipment. Building history - building research - redevelopment (= workbook of the Rhenish preservation of monuments 58). Michael Imhof, Petersberg 2002, ISBN 3-935590-38-5 .
- Regina Urbanek, Vera Henkelmann: Salve Regina. To the Radiant Madonna of Jan van Steffeswert in Aachen Cathedral . Aachen Cathedral Chapter, Aachen 1998.
- Herta Lepie , Georg Minkenberg in: The cathedral treasure of Aachen . Schnell and Steiner, ISBN 978-3-7954-2320-9 , here p. 90.
- Vera Henkelmann: On the origin and history of the Radiant Madonna of Jan van Steffeswert in the Aachen Cathedral . In: Salve Regina, On the Radiant Madonna of Jan van Steffeswert in the Aachen Cathedral . Catalog for the 1998 exhibition.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Gisbert Knopp , Ulrike Heckner: The Gothic choir hall of Aachen Cathedral and its equipment . P. 9 ff.
- ↑ Helmut Maintz The renovation of the choir hall , in: Gisbert Knopp, Ulrike Heckner: The Gothic choir hall of the Aachen Cathedral and its equipment . P. 89.
- ↑ Regina Urbanek with reference to: Vera Henkelmann in: Salve Regina. To the Radiant Madonna of Jan van Steffeswert in Aachen Cathedral .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Regina Urbanek: Investigation and restoration of the radiant wreath Madonna 1996/98 , pp. 299 to 320 in: Gisbert Knopp, Ulrike Heckner: The Gothic choir hall of Aachen Cathedral and its furnishings .
- ↑ Regina Urbanek: Investigation and Restoration of the Radiant Wreath Madonna 1996/98 , pp. 299 to 320, here reference to: Report by Peter Klein, Professor of Wood Biology at the University of Hamburg from March 27, 1998.
- ↑ Georg Minkenberg, in: Herta Lepie, Georg Minkenberg in: Der Domschatz zu Aachen , p. 90.