The Chautauquan, Vol. 04, December 1883Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle
History
The Chautauquan, Vol. 04, December 1883
Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle
Chautauqua Institution -- Periodicals; Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle -- Periodicals
Outside of this Tuscan school there were during the sixteenth century
several prominent artists; at Modena, Antonio Begarelli, who worked
mainly in terra-cotta, and who left many works in the churches of his
native city.
At Padua lived Riccio, who executed a bronze candelabrum which has become
famous for both its size and its excessive ornamentation. It was eleven
feet in height and laden with innumerable fantastic reliefs and figures
mostly taken from mythology. A pupil of Sansovino, Jacopo Tatti, was the
leader in Upper Italy. He worked mainly at Venice. The bronze of the
sacristy of St. Mark in that city, the choir-screen in the same church,
and several figures of evangelists in bronze are among his religious
works. In the Doge’s palace are two large statues of Mars and Neptune
which are particularly fine. He also did portrait-sculptures of much
merit. But during this century art was by no means confined to Italy,
though Italy then, as always, took the lead. In the North there was a
steady work in the plastic art. The influence of the antique was wanting,
and the materials in which the works were executed were different. Wood
carving was very popular; invariably much gilding and brilliant coloring
was used. The work was mainly on the altars of the churches, on shrines,
figures for niches in the church walls and choir stalls. Michael Pacher,
of Austria, was eminent in this art; Veit Stoss, of Cracow, and Jörg
Syrlin, of Ulm. In nearly all of the old churches of Germany are these
highly colored carvings in wood.
But stone was used as extensively, and in a somewhat wider variety of
works. Many monuments, the buttresses of churches, lecterns, doors, and
choir-piers, were made in stone and decorated in the usual manner by
reliefs and figures. Nearly all the German cities boast more or less of
stone work in their churches.
The leading artist of the time was Adam Krafft, who worked mainly in
Nuremberg. A very fine and powerful work by him is the Seven Stations, as
it is called. It represents the repeated fainting of Christ beneath the
burden of the cross. The work is done in relief. The face and expression
of the Savior is noble and expressive in every case. This work was
followed by Christ on the Cross. In 1492 he executed the history of the
Passion for a monument on the exterior of St. Sebald’s church.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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