15 Glass Roundel of Saint John the Baptist

Glass Roundel of Saint John the Baptist

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Glass Roundel of Saint John the Baptist

GLASS ROUNDEL OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST

Germany (Cologne) First third of the 16th century

Surrounding inscription: Johannes Castenhoultz venerabilis curie Coloniensis causarum notarius commitatus (The notary Johannes Castenhoultz represents the interests of the honourable Curia of Cologne)

Silver stained glass, heightened with Schwarzlot

Diameter: 28.8 cm Glass roundel

This round panel bears a delicately painted, full-length depiction of St John. The saint is considered a precursor and forerunner of Christ. A book rests on his lower left arm with the so-called ‘Agnus Dei’ – the Lamb of God – a symbol for Jesus Christ used since early Christianity. He holds his right hand in a pointing gesture. This and his words ‘Ecce Agnus dei’ (Behold the Lamb of God) traditionally characterise depictions of the saint. His torn pelt garment, tied at the shoulder, is another of his attributes.

St John stands on a tiled floor, drawn in perspective, in front of a wall on which a tapestry with a tendril design has been hung. Behind this, a view opens up of the surrounding landscape. To the left, next to the saint, is the donor and namesake, Johannes Castenhoultz, depicted on a smaller scale. The inscription around the edge describes him as a ‘notary who represents the interests of the honourable Curia of Cologne’. Behind him are his two sons, kneeling. A rolled up document to his left acts as a reference to his work as a notary. Castenhoultz, his hands folded in prayer, is fashionably dressed in an ermine-lined coat. On the heraldic shield, known as a targe, are his initials together with a lily. This possibly refers to the fact that Castenhoultz had studied at the University of Paris. Not many burghers had the means to have themselves portrayed in such a manner. Castenhoultz must have been a honourable citizen and a renowned notary in Cologne.

A ‘notarius (ap. et imp. et curie Col. causarum) Joh. Castenhoultz’ is mentioned as an authorised representative in a document held in the city archives in Cologne, dating from 2 February 1540, in connection with election of the cathedral dean. We would like to thank Dr. Max Plassmann from the Historic Archives of the City of Cologne for drawing our attention to the institution’s virtual reading room. He also pointed out that, as the name Johannes was very common, it is certainly possible that there were several people with the name Johannes Castenhoultz. However, as the date 1540 of the document 15

coincides with the creation of the roundel in the first third of the 16th century, and that it is a notary in both cases, the probability is great that the Johannes Castenhoultz in question is one and the same person. To date, no further information has been found about the pious donor or his house where this painted glas panel would have been installed. Painted panels of glass were created from the end of the 15th and beginning of the 16th centuries in the Netherlands and the Cologne area in particular. Wealthy burghers had the central round panels of glass in their windows – commonly known as crown glass panels – decorated with figures or heraldic elements that were then installed, surrounded by clear panels. The depictions were generally directly related to the residents of the house. In this way, families publically demonstrated their economic status or their religious leanings. Silver stain is a silver oxide that is applied on glass directly and then fired. Depending on its composition, translucent shades of colour emerge after firing that oscillate between bright yellow and dark amber. The depictions were often made after drawings by wellknown artists: Albrecht Dürer, Hans Baldung Grien, Hans Suess von Kulmbach, Hans Schäufelein and Hans Aldegrever all made designs for glass panels, as did their Dutch colleagues Lucas van Leyden and Cornelis Engelbrechtsz.

The model for a garden figure was most probably once painted. 3 It is similar to an allegory of summer that Tietz made in 1765/67 for the court garden at Veitshöchheim in which the motif of the kneeling peasant woman with a gift of grain also appears. The small putto, however, is not included and the goddess is clothed. The virtuosity and dynamism of the small sculpted work are lacking; instead the garden figure exudes a calm majesty. In the case of the garden figure Tietz also eschewed the sensually erotic aesthetic and gleeful exuberance that characterise the model, presumably at the request of the patron. The extreme rotation of Ceres’ body and the crossing of her legs as if dancing, can similarly be found in the figure of Pan. The god of shepherds was one of the figures in Tietz’s cycle of gods that he made in 1760 for the Rose Garden in Bamberg. The extreme rotation of Ceres’ body and the crossing of her legs as if dancing, can similarly be found in the figure of Pan. The god of shepherds was one of the figures in Tietz’s cycle of gods that he made in 1760 for the Rose Garden in Bamberg. Due to the work’s high artistic quality and taking stylistic comparisons into consideration we assume that this model is a work by Ferdinand Tietz himself. In all probability, the Ceres group served as a model for the Allegory of Summer in the garden at Veitshöchheim.

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3 Hans-Peter Trenschel, the former director of the Mainfränkisches Museum in

Würzburg emphasises that, in Tietz’s case, sketches did not play a role in the creative process of a sculpture. Instead, he generally carved small wooden figures immediately before, in preparation for his work on the stone figures (F. Tietz Symposium, Bamberg,