DOI article:
Pabiś-Gagis, Jolanta; Woziński, Andrzej: Późnogotycki krucyfiks w kościele św: trójcy w Gdańsku; konserwacja, forma, styl, pochodzenie
DOI Page / Citation link: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.28100#0050
Jolanta
Pabiś-Gagis,
Andrzej
Woziński
The restoration executed in 2006-2007 by second co-author of this text showed,
that the form of image of Christ has been changed many times in its history. The eyes
of Christ have been pasted. Originally Christ had a wig on his head. Whole figurę have
been repainted four times. Restoration discovered an original paint layer with unusual
green stripes motif on the white loincloth. At first both arms was not fastened into
corpus in permanent way. On Christ’s neck and legs they have been detected the traces
of slashes, which had been done after execution of original polychromy.
It seems that discovery of original form and polychromy confirm correctness of
anterior suppositions concerned with Crucifix’s origin. It reveals many connections
with large group of Crucifixs about 1465-70 recently published by Stefan Roller, who
supposes they were in Nuremberg created. The group consists of the head of Christ in
Musee National de Cluny in Paris, Crucifixs in Heilsbronn, Wiirzburg, in the Church
of St. John in Nuremberg and other Crucifixs in Nuremberg madę for export, among
other things in the Cathedral in Warsaw, in the Our Lady Church on the Sand in
Wrocław (lost), Straubing and Deggendorf in Low Bavaria, Braunau am Inn in Up-
per Austria and in Erzbischótliches Diózesanmuseum in Koln. Furthermore Roller
shows many Crucifixs of a little bit lower ąuality level influenced by this group: in
Saalfeld, Quedlinburg, Magdeburg, Zwickau and Coburg (Kunstsammlung, Veste
Coburg). It is possible, that all these Crucifixs have been serial product executed on
the ground of common model.
Motionless body, proportions, wig, anatomical parts realism, type of physiognomy, way
of sculpting of beard growth, large, half-open mouth, prominent eyeball, diagonal linę of
eyelids, painted irises and pupils, wrinkles in the shape of crow’s feet near external eyes cor-
ners and form of the loincloth are very similar to Nuremberg sculptures. Stripes on the loin-
cloth seem to have Netherlandish origin, as the way of representing of Christ in Nuremberg
Crucifbcs.
Lack of permanent arms fastening with the corpus, and nails and pieces of linen as well,
that belong to the second chronological layer, could suggests that set-up of parts followed rela-
tively long time after execution of sculpture. It seems also that slashes on the neck and legs are
the traces of a disassembly of sculpture, though not planned at first, before a transportation.
Multiple affinities seem to suggest that the Gdańsk Crucifix was an import from
South Germany, though it is uncertain if just from Nuremberg. One can datę it only on
the stylistic ground at the last ąuarter of the 15th century. It is not known, when it came
to Gdańsk; we suppose that at the beginning of the second decade of the 16th century
at the earliest, at time when artistic relationships between Gdańsk and South Germany
became closer.
It is difficult to explain why the eyes of Christ were pasted. This strange case rais-
es associations with sonie iconoclastic procedures, but it would be necessary to take
under consideration also a possibility that modification could have been undertaken
because of esthetic reasons, in order to tonę down dramatic expression of the face of
Christ. However, both these suppositions leave some doubts.
44
Pabiś-Gagis,
Andrzej
Woziński
The restoration executed in 2006-2007 by second co-author of this text showed,
that the form of image of Christ has been changed many times in its history. The eyes
of Christ have been pasted. Originally Christ had a wig on his head. Whole figurę have
been repainted four times. Restoration discovered an original paint layer with unusual
green stripes motif on the white loincloth. At first both arms was not fastened into
corpus in permanent way. On Christ’s neck and legs they have been detected the traces
of slashes, which had been done after execution of original polychromy.
It seems that discovery of original form and polychromy confirm correctness of
anterior suppositions concerned with Crucifix’s origin. It reveals many connections
with large group of Crucifixs about 1465-70 recently published by Stefan Roller, who
supposes they were in Nuremberg created. The group consists of the head of Christ in
Musee National de Cluny in Paris, Crucifixs in Heilsbronn, Wiirzburg, in the Church
of St. John in Nuremberg and other Crucifixs in Nuremberg madę for export, among
other things in the Cathedral in Warsaw, in the Our Lady Church on the Sand in
Wrocław (lost), Straubing and Deggendorf in Low Bavaria, Braunau am Inn in Up-
per Austria and in Erzbischótliches Diózesanmuseum in Koln. Furthermore Roller
shows many Crucifixs of a little bit lower ąuality level influenced by this group: in
Saalfeld, Quedlinburg, Magdeburg, Zwickau and Coburg (Kunstsammlung, Veste
Coburg). It is possible, that all these Crucifixs have been serial product executed on
the ground of common model.
Motionless body, proportions, wig, anatomical parts realism, type of physiognomy, way
of sculpting of beard growth, large, half-open mouth, prominent eyeball, diagonal linę of
eyelids, painted irises and pupils, wrinkles in the shape of crow’s feet near external eyes cor-
ners and form of the loincloth are very similar to Nuremberg sculptures. Stripes on the loin-
cloth seem to have Netherlandish origin, as the way of representing of Christ in Nuremberg
Crucifbcs.
Lack of permanent arms fastening with the corpus, and nails and pieces of linen as well,
that belong to the second chronological layer, could suggests that set-up of parts followed rela-
tively long time after execution of sculpture. It seems also that slashes on the neck and legs are
the traces of a disassembly of sculpture, though not planned at first, before a transportation.
Multiple affinities seem to suggest that the Gdańsk Crucifix was an import from
South Germany, though it is uncertain if just from Nuremberg. One can datę it only on
the stylistic ground at the last ąuarter of the 15th century. It is not known, when it came
to Gdańsk; we suppose that at the beginning of the second decade of the 16th century
at the earliest, at time when artistic relationships between Gdańsk and South Germany
became closer.
It is difficult to explain why the eyes of Christ were pasted. This strange case rais-
es associations with sonie iconoclastic procedures, but it would be necessary to take
under consideration also a possibility that modification could have been undertaken
because of esthetic reasons, in order to tonę down dramatic expression of the face of
Christ. However, both these suppositions leave some doubts.
44