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05 Hispano-Moresque Albarello
HEAD OF SAINT JOHN ON A PLATTER ‘JOHANNESSCHÜSSEL’
England, (Nottingham) First half 15th century
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Remains of an illegible inscription on the rim of the plate
Alabaster, with the original gilding and polychromy Diameter: 32.5 cm
Provenance: Private Collection, Germany.
Literature: Cheetham, Francis, Alabaster Images of Medieval England, Woodbridge 2003, reprinted 2011, pp. 156–60, Heads of St John the Baptist, esp. p. 156, type B, no. 6, fig. 5.
Related Literature: Woods, Kim W., Cut in Alabaster. A Material of Sculpture and its European Traditions 1330–1530, Turnhout 2018, pp. 347–54.
Brink, Peter van den, Preising, Dagmar, Polfer, Michel (eds), Blut und Tränen. Albrecht Bouts und das Antlitz der Passion, exh. cat., Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum Aachen, 8 March–11 June 2017, Regensburg 2016, p. 43ff.
Williamson, Paul (ed.) Object of Devotion, Medieval English Alabaster Sculpture from the Victoria and Albert Museum, Alexandria, Virginia, 2010.
Arndt Hella, Kroos Renate, ‘Zur Ikonographie der Johannesschüssel’, in: Aachener Kunstblätter, vol. 38, 1969, pp. 243–328. The events surrounding the violent death of the prophet John, who foretold the coming of the Messiah and who is considered his forerunner, are described in the Gospels according to Saint Matthew (14:1–12) and Saint Mark (6:14–29). Herod Antipas had begun an affair with his sister-in-law, Herodias, for which John publicly reproached him. As a consequence Herod had him arrested. Herodias was also furious at being accused of adultery and contemplated revenge. During a magnificent feast her daughter, Salomé, danced for Herod. Herod was so enraptured by her performance that he promised to grant her every wish. Incited by her mother, Salomé demanded the head of Saint John that was then handed to her on a platter. When Salomé’s mother was presented the severed head she is reputed to have thrust a knife into the Saint John’s forehead in revenge. This injury can also be seen on the relic of the saint’s head that is still kept on a platter in a silver reliquary in Amiens Cathedral.
The cult surrounding the head of Saint John the Baptist began in the Early Middle Ages and reached its peak in the 15th century. Numerous sculptural works were created in wood, clay, stone and alabaster, inspired by the presentation of the head. Alabaster in particularly is especially well suited because of its translucent colour, comparable to that of skin. The eyes, mouth and hair were usually highlighted in coloured paint.
Sculptural depictions of the severed head on a platter used for devotional purposes can be traced back to the 13th century. In the 15th and 16th centuries the so-called ‘Johannesschüssel’ became widespread in England and on the continent. Their frequent mention in lists of assets in the estates of private individuals confirms that they were also used for private prayer.1 However, works depicting Saint John’s head on a platter were also placed on altars and mounted on walls or in niches, such as the Head of Saint John in Saint Willibrod in Utrecht (attributed to the Workshop to the Master of Rimini).2
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1 Woods, op. cit., pp. 347–54, here p. 350 2 Ibid., p. 111, fig. 1
The relic of the head of John the Baptist in Amiens was said to have healing powers, providing relief from epilepsy, headaches, sore throats, melancholy and depression. These healing effects were also transferred to the ‘Johannesschüssel’ as representations of the original relic. The platters also played a role in mystery plays. Similarly, they were carried in processions around altars on the summer solstice to augment the regeneration of the earth and the fertility of women.3 On 24 June, just after the summer solstice, the birth of John the Baptist is celebrated, exactly six months before 24 December on which Christ was born, immediately following the winter solstice. John’s words: “He [Christ] must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30) are seen as a reference to the cycle of days becoming shorter and longer. As such, the head of Saint John was placed within a cosmic context that was much older than the religious tradition.
Stylistically, this Head of Saint John on a Platter can be dated to the first half of the 15th century. It was most probably made in England in a workshop near Nottingham. The style of this work with the head presented on the platter is relatively rare in England. Heads of Saint John are otherwise more frequently found in rectangular alabaster reliefs (cf. cat. no. 8). ‘Johannesschüssels’ are more common in Westphalia and in the south of the Netherlands.
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3 Baert in exh. cat., Aachen 2017, op. cit., p. 45 RELIEF WITH THE HEAD OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST
HEAD OF SAINT JOHN ON A PLATTER “JOHANNESSCHÜSSEL”
England, (Nottingham) 1st half of 15th-century
Remains of an illegible inscription on the rim of the plate
Alabaster, with the original gilding and polychromy Diameter: 32.5 cm
Provenance: Private collection, Germany
Literature: Cheetham, Francis, Alabaster Images of Medieval England, Woodbridge 2003, reprinted 2011, pp. 156-60, Heads of St John the Baptist, esp. p. 156, type B, no. 6, fig. 5.
Related literature: Woods, Kim W., Cut in Alabaster. A Material of Sculpture and its European Traditions 1330-1530, Turnhout 2018, pp. 347-54. Brink, Peter van den, Preising, Dagmar, Polfer, Michel (eds), Blut und Tränen. Albrecht Bouts und das Antlitz der Passion, exh. cat., Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum Aachen, 8 March-11 June 2017, Regensburg 2016, p. 43ff. Williamson, Paul (ed.) Object of Devotion, Medieval English Alabaster Sculpture from the Victoria and Albert Museum, Alexandria (VA) 2010, p. 317. Arndt Hella, Kroos Renate, ‘Zur Ikonographie der Johannesschüssel’, in: Aachener Kunstblätter, vol. 38, 1969, pp. 243-328.
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TWO WINGS OF AN ALTARPIECE WITH SCENES FROM THE LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MARY
Southeastern Germany (Innviertel region, probably Passau) Late 15th century Two reliefs with The Birth of Christ and The Adoration of the Magi Lindenwood with the original gilding and polychromy Height: 156 cm, width: 69 cm (The Birth of Christ) Height: 155.4 cm, width: 70.2 cm (The Adoration of the Magi) Two paintings with The Annunciation and The Presentation in the Temple Oil on panel Height: 157.6 cm, width: 70.2 cm (The Annunciation) Height: 156.3 cm, width: 70.8 cm (The Presentation in the Temple) Provenance: Probably commissioned by an Augustinian monk or congregation; Probably Collection of Albert von Carmesina (1806–1881), Vienna; Purchased by Eduard Strache (1847–1912), Vienna, between 1866 and 1870; By way of inheritance Collection of Emil Wittasek (1885–1971), Vienna; Acquired by the Zentralsparkasse of the City of Vienna in 1975 (merged in 1991 with the Bank of Austria); until 2018 on loan to the Vienna Museum.
Exhibition: Wien im Mittelalter, Historisches Museum der Stadt Wien, exh. cat., Vienna 1976, ex catalogue. Related Literature: Kemperdick, Stephan. Martin Schongauer. Eine Monographie, Petersberg 2004. Brunner, Alois/Brunner Max (eds). Faszination Mittelalter. Himmlisches Streben, exh. cat., Passau Oberhausmuseum 2002, Passau 2002.
Schultes, Lothar/Prokisch Bernhard (eds). Gotikschätze. Oberösterreich, exh. cat., Oberösterreichisches Landesmuseum Linz, Weitra 2002. Krone-Balcke, Ulrike. Der Kefermarkter Altar – sein Meister und seine Werkstatt, Munich, Berlin 1999. The four works each illustrate a different episode from the life of the Virgin Mary. They probably originally belonged to a winged altarpiece. On the outer sides of the wings are two painted scenes – the Annunciation and the Presentation in the Temple. On the inside of the wings the Birth of Christ is on the left and the Adoration of the Magi on the right.
The panel paintings have been cropped along the lower edge. As a result only fragments of the figures of the two donors have been preserved. On the Annunciation panel a monk, shown with a fortified tower in his hand, can be seen on the left; on the Presentation in the Temple panel a nun is depicted at the bottom right, identified as the abbess of a convent by the crosier in her hand.
The Annunciation The Archangel Gabriel approaches the Virgin Mary with his index finger raised to attract attention. He is holding a herald’s staff in his left hand around which the banner with the words of the ‘Hail
Mary’ are wound: AVE MARIA, GRATIA PLENA, DOMINUS TECUM – ‘Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you’. The announcement of the imminent conception of the Son of God is told in the Gospel according to Saint Luke (Luke 1:26–38). Mary, absorbed in her reading, is startled by the unexpected visit, but the angel reassures her: ‘Fear not’.
Hovering above her in the form of a dove, the Holy Spirit is received by the Virgin Mary as indicated by rays of light that fall on her from the upper left. The painter, whose name is not known, modelled his work on an engraving by Martin Schongauer,1 keeping to it very closely, right down to the design of the folds, with all but minor deviations.
On the lower left, the donor, in the robes of a cleric, is depicted on a smaller scale. He is holding a fortified tower that he presents to Mary as a gift. As it is not a church it is probably not an indication of the painting’s intended location. The banner, that may have provided information about the building, is truncated. The vase containing lilies and lilies-of-the-valley as a symbol of the Virgin’s purity is also no longer visible due to the cropping of the panel.
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The Annunciation and The Presentation in the Temple The Birth of Christ and The Adoration of the Magi Fig. 1. Martin Schongauer (1440/45–1491), The Adoration of the Magi, engraving, 25.5 x 16.7 cm
The Birth of Christ With minor deviations the Nativity relief is similarly in keeping with a copperplate engraving by Martin Schongauer.2 Mary kneels devoutly in prayer before the child in a round-arched stable ruin. Ox and donkey have been depicted at the birth of the Saviour since early Christian times, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy: “The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib” (Isaiah 1:3).
Standing pensively Joseph is shown in the background, sensing the significance of the event. The lantern in his hand is an indication of the true light that will enter the world with Jesus. Outside, shepherds hurry to the stable after being brought the good news by an angel: “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10–11). The words of the ‘Salve Regina’ – MAR[IA] SALVE REGINA
[MATER] MISERECOR[I]A VITA DULCEDO ET (et spes nostra, salve) – ‘Hail Mary, Queen, Mother of mercy: Our life, sweetness (and hope, hail)’ are written along the hem of the Virgin’s cloak. Directly below the hands is the invocation ‘Mary help us’ on the cloak’s hem.
The Adoration of the Magi The Enthroned Virgin Mary is depicted in front of the stable receiving the precious gifts that the Three Wise Men from the Orient have brought: gold, frankincense and myrrh. The kings, one behind the other, are magnificently dressed. The Christ Child is cheerfully reaching into the open casket that Melchior has handed to Mary. Caspar is blessing the scene and proffers a golden incense holder. The youngest king, Balthasar, is the last of the three and is wearing a pointed hat with a tassel, as in Martin Schongauer’s engraving (fig. 1)3 on which the sculptor modelled this relief.
1 Kemperdick, op. cit., p. 87, K 1, ill. 2 Ibid., p. 90, K 4, ill. 3 Ibid., p. 91, K 5, ill.
