The St. Clare Altarpiece is the earliest extant double transformation altar with both reliquary busts and a tabernacle from the fourteenth century. Created in Cologne it is a work of rich stylistic and iconographic complexities. Parts of the altar's paintings may be seen as the culmination of a style prevalent during the second quarter of the fourteenth century in Cologne while other parts may be seen as the gestation of the early fifteenth century "Soft Style." The altarpiece was examined near the end of its present restoration and previous hypotheses concerning the style, iconography, original location, and donors are re-evaluated and more adequate re-interpretations suggested. / Nineteenth and twentieth century restorations and fifteenth century overpainting have resulted in confusion concerning the altar's style and have led in the past to contradictory evaluations. As a result, the present chronology of most fourteenth century Cologne painting, which was based on attempted stylistic associations with the St. Clare Altarpiece, has been grounded on the slimmest evidence. In particular, this investigation shows that the interest in finding an artist(s) for the altarpiece has lead to inconclusive results, especially when attempts were made to associate the altar either with William of Herle or Herman Wynrich of Wesel. / Iconographically, no serious investigations have been undertaken previously to explain each opening of the altarpiece and indicate their inter-relationships. Although certain scenes have been extrapolated from the altar and used as illustrations for discussions of a particular iconographic theme, these discussions were tangential and often flawed methodologically. Earlier suggestions of the altarpiece's relationship to Rhenish mysticism are refuted in terms of origin, style, iconography, and function. / Two new iconographic interpretations are developed. First, the probability of a carved Crucifixion in the central upper niche of the second opening is suggested. Second, the scene on the first opening referred to in most accounts as the Return from Egypt is reidentified as the Journey to the Temple. In addition, it is argued that relationships may exist between the different openings. The program seems to reflect a carefully established theological program emphasizing allegorical and/or tropological meanings that had a long tradition in medieval textual exegesis. / The altarpiece appears to be related to the fourteenth century Franciscan convent of St. Clare's by the Roman Tower in Cologne. An argument is made that the hypothesized relationship of the Guelders sisters to the altar is suspect and that a strong possibility exists that the entire convent commissioned the altarpiece. / After a careful perusal of the stylistic, iconographic, and historical elements associated with the St. Clare Altarpiece, this investigation has concluded that the best range of dates for the earlier painting can be established from around 1347 to around 1390, with the greater possibility focussing on a period shortly after the dedication of the new church of St. Clare in 1347. The later overpainting occurred during the earliest phase of the Soft Style in Cologne around 1400. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-01, Section: A, page: 0006. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_74039 |
| Contributors | KIRN, MARY EM., The Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 223 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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