Location
Croatia, City of Zagreb, Čučerje
Parish Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Župna crkva Pohoda Marijina)
Artwork
The right side altar of St Anne (The engagement of Virgin Mary) in Čučerje
Type
Side altar
Dimensions
Height: 630 cm, width: 274 cm, depth: 51 cm
Inscriptions
- HANC ARAM/IN HONOREM SANC/TAE ANNA EFIERI FECIT D./IOSEPHUS WUGER BONORUM/EPPUM POKUPSZKEN.SIUM/PROVISOR ANNO 1761 (in the cartouche above the altar painting)
- St./KATARINA (in the cartouche to the right of the Saint's sculpture, probably from the 1997 restoration)
- St./BARBARA (in the cartouche to the left of the Saint's sculpture, probably from the 1997 restoration)
Critical History
The altar was first mentioned in the text of the Canonical visitations in 1765. 1 The date 1761 and the donor Josip Vuger (Wuger), head of the bishop's estate in Pokupsko, are inscribed in the cartouche. Doris Baričević noted in 1992–1993 that the inscription stated the year 1765, which was the date of polychromy and gilding, and attributed the altar to Franz Anton Straub. She particularly praised the sophisticated beauty of the sculptures of St Catherine and St Barbara (corrected to St Elizabeth of Thuringia in 2001), adding that their gentle faces have similarities only with the faces of large angels. 2 However, in 2008 she proposed a new attribution to an artist under the influence of Veit Königer. 3
A large canonical plate carved with rocaille ornaments and four putti as candle holders in the middle of the predella is no longer preserved. 4
Construction / Execution
The side altar covers the entire rear wall of the right side nave. As opposed to its left counterpart, massive carved formations of rocaille, volutes and similar motifs stand instead of architectural columns.
Components
- Carpentry
- Author: Franz Anton Straub (Wiesensteig 1726 – Zagreb ca. 1774)
- Completed: 1761
- Patron(s): Joseph Wuger, head of bishop's estate
- Technique(s): sawing, wood carving
- Material(s): wood
- Sculpture
- Author: Franz Anton Straub (Wiesensteig 1726 – Zagreb ca. 1774)
- Completed: 1761
- Patron(s): Joseph Wuger, head of bishop's estate
- Technique(s): wood carving
- Material(s): wood
- Painting
- The Engagements of Virgin Mary
- Completed: 1761
- Technique(s): oil on canvas
- Painting
- St Anne teaching the young Mary
- Technique(s): oil on canvas
- Polychromy
- Completed: 1765
- Technique(s): oil gilding, water gilding
- Material(s): gold leaf, red bole, silver leaf, yellow bole
- Polychromy
- Repolychromy
- Author: Franjo Bašić
- Completed: 1885
- Patron(s): owner, parish
- Technique(s): stencil ornamentation
- Polychromy
- Partial repolychromy
- Author: Franjo Mrnjec
- Completed: 1997
- Material(s): gold leaf
Comment
The altar was repolychromed in 1885 by Franjo Bašić from Zagreb.5 It seems that he did not cover the gilded parts, since Anđela Horvat in 1942 mentions "very nice old gilding".6 Repolychromy is not visible after the recent renovation in 1997, which restored the polychromy from 1765, but also overpainted many surfaces.
Conservation-restoration
- 1997
Strategy: removing dirt, removing one or several historic repolychromies, removing partial repairs, removing patina, removing varnish
Approach to the presentation of losses
Reintegration of lacunae – mimetic: total
Reintegration of losses – other: total
Reconstruction of losses: total
Repolychroming: partial
Materials: gold leaf, silver leaf
Treatment Description
The entire altar and sculptures were fully renovated by 1997 by Franjo Mrnjec, a private restorer, sponsored by the Parish church and its parishioners.
Images
- The altar of St Anne in Čučerje (Croatian Conservation Institute Photo Archive, photo by Goran Tomljenović, 2017)
- The sculpture of St Catherine (Croatian Conservation Institute Photo Archive, photo by Goran Tomljenović, 2017)
- The sculpture of St Barbara (Croatian Conservation Institute Photo Archive, photo by Goran Tomljenović, 2017)
- The sculpture of angel (Croatian Conservation Institute Photo Archive, photo by Goran Tomljenović, 2017)
- The sculpture of angel (Croatian Conservation Institute Photo Archive, photo by Goran Tomljenović, 2017)
- The sculpture of angel (Croatian Conservation Institute Photo Archive, photo by Goran Tomljenović, 2017)
Catalogue entry prepared by Martina Ožanić and Ksenija Škarić
Recommended citation: Martina Ožanić and Ksenija Škarić, The right side altar of St Anne (The engagement of Virgin Mary) in Čučerje, in: TrArS – Tracing the Art of the Straub Family, 2018, (accessed 19/05/2026) URL
