Original scientific paper
The Altar of St. Wolfgang in Vukovoj
Mirjana Repanić Braun
orcid.org/0000-0002-6515-521X
; Institute of Art History, Zagreb, Croatia
Ksenija Škarić
orcid.org/0000-0003-4496-6010
; Croatian Conservation Institute, Department for Wooden polychrome Sculpture, Zagreb, Croatia
Martina Wolff Zubović
orcid.org/0000-0001-9621-342X
; Croatian Conservation Institute, Section for Movable Heritage Documentation, Zagreb, Croatia
Helena Cavalli Ladašić
; polychrome Sculpture, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
In the period from 2004 to 2010, the altar of St. Wolfgang from the chapel in Vukovoj was conserved at the Croa-tian Conservation Institute. It is a unique example of a richly-decorated Mannerist altar from the mid-17th century in continental Croatia, which has survived in its original location in only a slightly altered condition. The altar is traditionally dated to the year 1650, owing to an inscrip-tion found underneath the painting on the second storey. Conservation research revealed that the inscription did not belong to the 17th-century polychromy, but was executed in the course of the renovation of the altar. The densely intertwined sculptural and pictorial decorations, however, do match the period. The layout of the constructive and decorative elements, as well as the polychromy, mostly recalls the altars of brothers sculptors Martin and Michael Zürn, who built wooden altars in the wider area of the Boden Lake in the mid-17th century. The Jesuit symbol on top of the altar suggests a possible connection with the order and an influence of the Jesuits in its commission.
The sculptural decoration is dominated by cartilaginous motifs, complemented with the motifs of jewels and round rivets, a tiny angel’s head and a female mask, with fruit festoons and grapevine tendrils. The Mannerist quality of the polychromy can be observed in the diversity of techniques used, as well as a series of unconventionalsolutions, such as painted ornamentation, the shading of the constructive and decorative elements and hidden decorations. On the drapery we encounter an elaborate technique of damask fabric imitation. The graphic models for the paintings on the predella have been identified: the Veil of Veronicais a variant of a 1513 engraving by Albrecht Dürer, while the Annunciationis based on the graphic translation of an eponymous painting by Hans von Aachen (1522-1615). The details of the painting reveal that the painter of the altarpieces was also the author of the polychromy. The simple form and smooth outlines of the altar add to an impression of integrity, despite the abundance and diverseness of pictorial and sculptural decorations. This is probably the reason why the altar underwent so little change in the following periods, unlike other altars from the same period. In the course of the conservation of the altar, the partial re-polychromy from the 19th century was removed and the painting from the mid-17th century was presented.
Keywords
Vukovoj; St. Wolfgang (Volfgang, Vuk); Late Mannerism; Baroque; wooden altar; ornament; polychromy; graphic model; Zürn brothers; Albrecht Dürer; Hans von Aachen; Lucas Kilian; conservation work
Hrčak ID:
122558
URI
Publication date:
20.12.2013.
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