DOI Artikel:
Parello, Daniel: "From the period of the deepest decline of German ecclesiastical art" - should artistic quality become a criterion for an inventory of stained glass?
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.51154#0049
48
4. Kgl. Glasmalereianstalt Munich, Görres memorial window, 1856,
Cologne cathedral. Detail showing Joseph Görres (1776-1848) in
adoration of St. Mary. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, WDWensky
were criticized by contemporaries, starting with Goethe
and Brentano, and which today are commonly associa-
ted with the term ‘Nazarene’: the works are deemed to be
bloodless, sentimental and hypocritical.
STEP 2: POPULARIZATION
OF THE RELIGIOUS IMAGE AS A MEANS
OF CHRISTIAN PROPAGANDA
It was entirely within the missionary intentions of the
Nazarenes and their affiliated church to reach the broad
masses of the people with their art. Joanna Lubos-Koziel,
in her contribution on the development of the market for
church mass production in the nineteenth century, which
was published in 2007, pointed out that the mass produc-
tion of ecclesiastical works of art was a direct result of the
program of Christian art developed by the Nazarenes.8
This concept of popularization was all the more grati-
fying to the Church when, after the loss of its Papal States,
the Pope sought ways of regaining influence in the Catho-
lic world [Fig. 6]: Pius IX, who continued to regard him-
self as the head of Christendom, opposed those in his eyes
condemnable democratic and liberal developments of the
modern states and practiced a strongly restorative policy.
Recatholization now began on a broad scale and was re-
flected among other things in the active support of pop-
ular piety (‘Volksfrömmigkeit’), for example through the
promotion of pilgrimages [Fig. 7] through indulgences,
through the founding of Christian associations, through
support of an ecclesiastical publishing industry, and not
least through the creation of rich decoration in chur-
ches.9 By these means the Church succeeded in winning
the masses for its anti-modernist attitude. It is well known
that these conflicts culminated in the ‘Kulturkampf’.
Printmaking, with its new technical possibilities, be-
came the main instrument of effective influence, in order
to reach the lower classes especially.10 Numerous litho-
graphic institutions were established, specializing in the
serial production of pictures with an iconography that
was easy to understand.11 A central institution was the
‘Verein zur Verbreitung religiöser Bilder’ (‘Association
for the dissemination of religious images’) in Düsseldorf,
which had been founded in 1841 under the patronage of
the later bishop of Cologne, Johannes Geissel [Fig. 8]. His
main task was to ‘spread religious images of established
older and newer artists through the steel engraving in all
8 J. Lubos-Kozieł, ‘“[...] zu den billigsten Preisen unter Garan-
tie solider edler Ausführung”. Die Entwicklung des Marktes für
kirchliche künstlerische Massenproduktion im 19. Jahrhundert’,
in Kanonisierung, Regelverstoß und Pluralität in der Kunst des 19.
Jahrhunderts, ed. by E. Kepetzis, S. Lieb, S. Grohé, Frankfurt am
Main, 2005, pp. 183-193. Thanks to Elgin Vaassen for providing
me with this reference.
9 V. Seifert, Pius IX. - der Immaculata-Papst: Von der Marienver-
ehrung Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferrettis zur Definierung des Im-
maculata-Dogmas, Göttingen, 2013.
10 W. Faulstich, Medienwandel im Industrie- und Massenzeitalter,
1830-1900, Göttingen, 2004.
11 S. Metken, ‘Nazarener und “nazarenisch”. Popularisierung und
Trivialisierung eines Kunstideals’, in Die Nazarener, exh. cat.,
Frankfurt, Städel, Frankfurt am Main, 1977, pp. 365-388.
4. Kgl. Glasmalereianstalt Munich, Görres memorial window, 1856,
Cologne cathedral. Detail showing Joseph Görres (1776-1848) in
adoration of St. Mary. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, WDWensky
were criticized by contemporaries, starting with Goethe
and Brentano, and which today are commonly associa-
ted with the term ‘Nazarene’: the works are deemed to be
bloodless, sentimental and hypocritical.
STEP 2: POPULARIZATION
OF THE RELIGIOUS IMAGE AS A MEANS
OF CHRISTIAN PROPAGANDA
It was entirely within the missionary intentions of the
Nazarenes and their affiliated church to reach the broad
masses of the people with their art. Joanna Lubos-Koziel,
in her contribution on the development of the market for
church mass production in the nineteenth century, which
was published in 2007, pointed out that the mass produc-
tion of ecclesiastical works of art was a direct result of the
program of Christian art developed by the Nazarenes.8
This concept of popularization was all the more grati-
fying to the Church when, after the loss of its Papal States,
the Pope sought ways of regaining influence in the Catho-
lic world [Fig. 6]: Pius IX, who continued to regard him-
self as the head of Christendom, opposed those in his eyes
condemnable democratic and liberal developments of the
modern states and practiced a strongly restorative policy.
Recatholization now began on a broad scale and was re-
flected among other things in the active support of pop-
ular piety (‘Volksfrömmigkeit’), for example through the
promotion of pilgrimages [Fig. 7] through indulgences,
through the founding of Christian associations, through
support of an ecclesiastical publishing industry, and not
least through the creation of rich decoration in chur-
ches.9 By these means the Church succeeded in winning
the masses for its anti-modernist attitude. It is well known
that these conflicts culminated in the ‘Kulturkampf’.
Printmaking, with its new technical possibilities, be-
came the main instrument of effective influence, in order
to reach the lower classes especially.10 Numerous litho-
graphic institutions were established, specializing in the
serial production of pictures with an iconography that
was easy to understand.11 A central institution was the
‘Verein zur Verbreitung religiöser Bilder’ (‘Association
for the dissemination of religious images’) in Düsseldorf,
which had been founded in 1841 under the patronage of
the later bishop of Cologne, Johannes Geissel [Fig. 8]. His
main task was to ‘spread religious images of established
older and newer artists through the steel engraving in all
8 J. Lubos-Kozieł, ‘“[...] zu den billigsten Preisen unter Garan-
tie solider edler Ausführung”. Die Entwicklung des Marktes für
kirchliche künstlerische Massenproduktion im 19. Jahrhundert’,
in Kanonisierung, Regelverstoß und Pluralität in der Kunst des 19.
Jahrhunderts, ed. by E. Kepetzis, S. Lieb, S. Grohé, Frankfurt am
Main, 2005, pp. 183-193. Thanks to Elgin Vaassen for providing
me with this reference.
9 V. Seifert, Pius IX. - der Immaculata-Papst: Von der Marienver-
ehrung Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferrettis zur Definierung des Im-
maculata-Dogmas, Göttingen, 2013.
10 W. Faulstich, Medienwandel im Industrie- und Massenzeitalter,
1830-1900, Göttingen, 2004.
11 S. Metken, ‘Nazarener und “nazarenisch”. Popularisierung und
Trivialisierung eines Kunstideals’, in Die Nazarener, exh. cat.,
Frankfurt, Städel, Frankfurt am Main, 1977, pp. 365-388.