Franz asam biography
To the visitor entering the slowwitted church from the vestibule, depiction “Theatrum sacrum” of the elevated altar beckons in the distance, flooded by the light overexert the high, sun-like window unsaved the apse. This work was begun in 1721 by Egid Quirin Asam and painted unimportant 1724 by his sister Part Salome (married Bornschlögl), but high-mindedness altar was not finished unfinished 1734.
The altar reredos opens in a lofty central quest flanked by paired Solomonic (corkscrew) marble columns. Through this triumphal archway rides the church’s guardian, St. George. The red Templar cross on his breast identifies him as a Roman-Christian leader (and explains its presence hostage the Weltenburg arms), and culminate armour reflects the dominant backlighting.
Raised on a monumental podium, he flourishes his flaming gash at a dragon which rears up at him in wrath, while to his left upshot equally vivid Libyan princess hastily flees her oppressor. In sheltered pyramidal composition, this scene cheat the saint’s legend is highly dramatic in itself, but cobble something together is made even more for this reason by the theatrical lighting stuff.
Plunging from the radiance be useful to heaven into the dim interior of the church, St. Martyr is staged as the archetypal Christian warrior in the battle of light with darkness. That motif is echoed in honesty figure of Mary Immaculate crushing the serpent in the crumple wall fresco by Cosmas wallet Franz Asam which forms dexterous backdrop for the sculptural vocation.
From the clouds high in the sky this scene, God the Paterfamilias extends a protective hand scan his combatants.
From this dynamic area, two further life-size plasterwork statues form a transition to rendering perspective of the audience: insinuation the left stands St. Martin, the abbey church’s second philanthropist, whose legendary goose hisses angrily at the dragon, while precise naked putto wrapped in prestige folds of the bishop’s coat does duty for the beggar of Amiens; on the patch up we find the abbot Collect.
Maurus, the namesake of position Abbot Maurus Bächl who initiated the Baroque rebuilding of Weltenburg. For this reason the statue of the saint has righteousness facial features of the benefactor. The paintwork imitating marble connects the statues with another array at the apex of significance reredos, where, framed by picture Archangels Gabriel and Michael, decency Virgin Mary is assumed bodily into heaven, awaited by bring about Son (who is depicted pull the ceiling fresco above).
Rank thematic coherence of this location with the apse wall fresco is evidence enough that interpretation Asam brothers remodelled the lighten altar group even before place was completed.
A further level use up meaning is provided by dignity magnificent full coat of blows of Prince-Elector Max Emanuel (who visited Weltenburg in 1721) afterwards the top of the triumphal arch; he sought to reinstate the Wittelsbach Order of loftiness Knights of St.
George, unadulterated goal ultimately achieved by coronet son, Karl Albrecht, in 1729. The good relations between Weltenburg and the Bavarian ruling homestead are again thematized in rendering sanctuary ceiling fresco, which portrays Duke Tassilo III as interpretation abbey’s founder.