Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.17018/portal.2015.9
High Altar of the Pakrac Parish Church: the Original Concept and its Alterations
Martina Wolff Zubović
orcid.org/0000-0001-9621-342X
; Croatian Conservation Institute, Section for Movable Heritage Research and Documentation, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The church consecrated in 1763 was, along with its furnishings, commissioned by the Zagreb Bishop Franjo
Thauszy. The high altar of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is attributed to Franjo Antun Straub (1726–1774/1776), a member of the well–known sculptors‘ family of Straub which was active within a wide territory stretching from Bavaria, across the Austrian and Slovenian Styria and into continental Croatia. By analyzing the formal portions of the altar, such as ornamentation, the distinctive motif of a curtain, an altarpiece depicting Our Lady of Częstochowska, the flickering illusionistic marbleizations, and the back lighting so important for the Baroque scenography, the altar is situated within the oeuvre of Franjo Antun Straub and put in the context of contemporary stylistic tendencies of the second half of the 18th century, with an emphasis on the influence of the Styrian cultural circle. The altar’s long duration has worn out the integrity of authorial concept, and alterations to individual altar components have degraded the desired effect of the ensemble. The alterations that resulted from less–than–skillful renovations of the altar go together with injuries caused by the wear–and–tear, as well as the most recent ones that resulted from war devastations.
With the help of archival records and based on conservation research, a timeline of renovations is reconstructed, along with reasons that brought them about. An analysis is given of the Baroque layer of the altar, revalorized by the conservation, as well as the necessary compromises.
Keywords
Franjo Antun Straub; 18th century; Bishop Franjo Thauszy; altar; ornamentation; rocaille; curtain motif; marbleization; Our Lady of Częstochowska
Hrčak ID:
149926
URI
Publication date:
21.12.2015.
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