Lehnin retable [left wing]: Mary Magdalene, St Benedict [recto]; St Gregory, St Ambrose [verso]

Lehnin retable [left wing]: Mary Magdalene, St Benedict [recto]; St Gregory, St Ambrose [verso]

Title

Lehnin retable [left wing]: Mary Magdalene, St Benedict [recto]; St Gregory, St Ambrose [verso]

[cda 2017]

Painting on wood

Medium

Painting on wood

[cda 2017]

Attributions
Circle of Lucas Cranach the Elder
Master of Byzantine Madonna

Attributions

Circle of Lucas Cranach the Elder

[cda 2017]

Master of Byzantine Madonna

[Flechsig 1900 C, col. 26b-27a]

Production date
1518

Production date

1518

[dated on frame of central shrine]

Dimensions
Dimensions of support: 239 x 98 cm (clear dimension)

Dimensions

  • Dimensions of support: 239 x 98 cm (clear dimension)

  • Dimensions including frame: 256 x 117 cm

  • [cda 2017]

Signature / Dating

None. On the frame of the central shrine an inscription records both the name of the donor and the year of the donation: "Anno domini: 1518. Sub domino Valentino Abate"

Signature / Dating

  • None. On the frame of the central shrine an inscription records both the name of the donor and the year of the donation: "Anno domini: 1518. Sub domino Valentino Abate"

  • [Bednarz 2016, 76-77]

Inscriptions and Labels

Recto, at the bottom edge: 'S MARIA . MAGDALENA', 'S BENEDICTVS . ABBAS'
Verso, on the ledge of the …

Inscriptions and Labels

Inscriptions, Badges:

  • Recto, at the bottom edge: 'S MARIA . MAGDALENA', 'S BENEDICTVS . ABBAS'

  • Verso, on the ledge of the frame: 'S. GREGOR[...]', 'S AMBROS[...]'

  • [cda 2017]

Owner
Domstift Brandenburg an der Havel
Repository
Museum des Domstifts Brandenburg
Location
Brandenburg an der Havel
CDA ID
DE_DBH_NONE-001b
FR (1978) Nr.
FR-none
Persistent Link
https://lucascranach.org/en/DE_DBH_NONE-001b/

Overall view of the piece
Connected Works

Lehnin retable [right wing]: St Bernhard, St Ursula [recto]; St Augustine, St Jerome [verso]
  • Lehnin retable [right wing]: St Bernhard, St Ursula [recto]; St Augustine, St Jerome [verso], 1518
  • DE_DBH_NONE-001c
  • Painting
  • Domstift Brandenburg an der Havel

Provenance

  • Cistercian Abbey Lehnin, donated by Abbot Valentin Hennecke (1509-1542)
  • 1542 Cölln on the Spree after the dissolution of the abbey
  • 1552 transferred to the Domstift Brandenburg/Havel
  • ever since 1653 on the high altar of the Dom Sts. Peter and Paul
    [Bednarz 2016, 76-77]

Literature

Reference on page Catalogue Number Figure / Plate
Bednarz 2016
AuthorUte Bednarz
TitleDas Lehniner Retabel im Brandenburger Dom - Die Werkstattfrage
Publicationin, Brandenburgisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologisches Landesmuseum, ed., Flügelaltäre um 1515 - Höhepunkte mittelalterlicher Kunst in Brandenburg und in den Nachbarregionen
Place of PublicationBerlin
Year of Publication2016
Pages76-89
Show Literature
Flechsig 1900 C col. 26b-27a
AuthorEduard Flechsig
TitleDie Sammlung des Königlich Sächsischen Altertumsvereins zu Dresden in ihren Hauptwerken
Place of PublicationDresden
Year of Publication1900
Show Literature
  • Lehnin retable [left wing]: Mary Magdalene, St Benedict [recto]; St Gregory, St Ambrose [verso], 1518

Images

Compare images
  • overall
  • overall
  • overall
  • reverse
  • reverse
  • irr
  • irr
  • detail

Technical studies

03. 2016Technical examination / Scientific analysis

  • Infrared reflectography
  • irr
  • irr

Underdrawing

Mary Magdalene, St Benedict [recto]

DESCRIPTION

Tools/Material:

- fluid, black medium, brush

Type/Ductus:

- freehand underdrawing (probably after a pre-existing design)

- thin to broader lines

- occasional hatching-strokes, particularly in the faces

Function:

- relatively binding for the final painted version; lines delineate the main contours and define details as well as facial features; some representation of volume with hatching-strokes

Deviations:

- minor corrections to forms were made during the painting process; small changes e. g. in the faces, in the Magdalene's robes and her feet etc.

INTERPRETATION

Attribution:

- not possible

St Gregory, St Ambrosius [verso]

DESCRIPTION

Tools/Material:

- fluid, black medium, brush; incised lines in the ground delimit some of the gilded areas; an initial design may have been fixed with a stylus

Type/Ductus:

- freehand underdrawing (presumably after a pre-existing design)

- thin to broader lines

- hatching-strokes, particularly in the faces

- the incised lines are particularly visible on St Ambrosius‘ mitre.

Function:

- relatively binding for the final painted version; the lines delineate the main contours and describe essential details and facial features; representation of volume with hatching-strokes

Deviations:

- minor corrections were made to forms during the painting process; small changes for example in the faces etc.

INTERPRETATION

Attribution:

- not possible

[Sandner, Smith-Contini, Heydenreich, cda 2017]

  • photographed by Gunnar Heydenreich
  • photographed by Ingo Sandner

Citing from the Cranach Digital Archive

Entry with author
<author's name>, 'Lehnin retable [left wing]: Mary Magdalene, St Benedict [recto]; St Gregory, St Ambrose [verso]', <title of document, data entry or image>. [<Date of document or image>], in: Cranach Digital Archive, https://lucascranach.org/en/DE_DBH_NONE-001b/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})
Entry with no author
'Lehnin retable [left wing]: Mary Magdalene, St Benedict [recto]; St Gregory, St Ambrose [verso]', <title of document, data entry or image>. [<Date of document, entry or image>], in: Cranach Digital Archive, https://lucascranach.org/en/DE_DBH_NONE-001b/ (Accessed {{dateAccessed}})

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