Ars: časopis Ústavu Dejín Umenia Slovenskej Akadémie Vied (46.2013)

4. Design for a side altar of the Church of the Sorbonne at Paris by
Gilles-Marie Oppenord. Repro: Œuvres de Gilles-Marie Oppenord
(Grand Oppenord). Paris 1748, pl. CXIV.

The reproduction of antique bas-reliefs by Bar-
toli also led to their discussion by art theoreticians
throughout Europe. Regarding Egell’s intermedia-
tion of the religions contents on his works Gérard de
Lairesses thoughts on the use of the relief are most
illuminating: the most important figures are to be
placed at the foreground, the least important at the

background. Movement should be only from profile.
There should not be a shortening of the limbs.* * * * 31 That
is why the head of Christ at the Ecce Homo and his
body on the Lamentation and the Déposition from the
Cross tablets are carved more elevated and placed in
the foreground without shortening, as well as the
figures of Adam and Joseph of Aritmathäa. They
are shown in profile kneeling at his side.
Egell could hâve been in contact with Berain’s32
and Oppenord’s work via engravings and drawings
that were preserved at the library and the collec-
tion of prints and drawings at Mannheim palace.
Despite the fact that these were inventoried much
later in 1738 and in 1780, it is to be assumed that
these drawings were acquired earlier on, because
catalogues were written only from time to time.33 The
reason for collecting court art of the Régence at the
Mannheim court may be seen within close dynastie
relations between the Palatinate and France: they
set off when Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate
(1652 — 1722) became the wife of Philippe Duke of
Orleans, younger brother of Louis XIV. After his
death in 1715 her son Philipp became the Regent
of France.
Conclusion
Egell’s works represent an intellectual tendency
in pervading the original significance of the icono-
graphie types of medieval passion-images. It is con-
nected with a strong interest in typological thinking
being essential for medieval art. He combined the
original iconographie patterns with contents that are
dosely related to them. By this Egell developed new
iconographie solutions. This is made obvious for
instance by his treatment of the fOigures of Adam

pl. 4. Due to difficulties in reproducing sculptural éléments
within the technique of engraving, Bartolis’ engravings arise
the impression of being füll sculptural worked out in relief.
The antique reliefs are also imprecisely reproduced.
31 .. das vornehmste Bild des Werckes [soll] eine Erhabenheit behalte[n];
und welches am wenigsten %u sagen hat, das schwächste oder flacheste
werde[n], und in dem Grunde sitzend bleib [en]. Daß die meiste Bewe-
gung und Wirckung der Bilder im Profil oder auf der Seite geschehe;
jedoch muß keine Verkürzung der Glieder da sein!’ — LAIRESSE,
G. de: Grosses Mahler-Buch. Nürnberg 1728 —1730, p. 64. See
KRAUSE 2006 (see in note 26), n. 65.

32 The library catalogue od Mannheim palace mentions: “Berain,
Ornemensfol.'” — HStA München, Abt. III, No. 67.
33 OPPENORD, G.-M.: Recueil des œuvres de Gilles-Marie Oppenord.
Eivre d’Autels et Tombeaux (=L’Art décoratif appliqué á l’art
industriel). Frankfurt a. M. 1880, pl. CXIV. The inventory of
engravings from 1780 names on p. 20: “Nr. 20 Oppenord: Ein
dito mit verschiedenen Zeichnungen, 111 Stück.” — HStA München,
Abt. III. However, these drawings cannot be verified within
the present holdings of the State Graphie Collection at
Munich (München, State Graphie Collection, Dr. Kurt
Zeitler).

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