Location
Austria, Styria, Anger
Parish Church St Andreas (Pfarrkirche Hl Andreas)
Anger
Artwork
Nine corbel figures in the nave of the parish church of Anger
Type
Sculptural group
Critical History
There are nine corbel figures in the nave of the parish church of Anger, whose execution shows parallels to the work of Philipp Jakob Straub. Therefore a workshop work is assumable. The statues are standing on square plinths with green colouring, which are situated on baroque corbels. Above the main entrance on the north side there are the sculptures of St Francis and St Anthony. The former is standing in a very calm posture and holds a crucifix in his right hand. St Anthony appears a bit more dynamic, which is due to the pronounced contrapost and the elaborate gestures with the Straub-typical mannered finger positions.
On the nave’s west and east side there follow the sculptures of St Odilia and St Lucia (opposite of each other). Odilia is depicted with abbess-staff and a bowl with two eyes on it. Apart from the opulently executed sleeves of her habit, she appears quite unpretentious – in absolute contrast to her counterpart. St Lucia’s appearance is very expressive with a clear twist in her body composition. The drapery of her cloak is highly remarkable and seems to go all around her body as being moved by the wind. This expressive sculptural treatment evokes the style of Philipp Jakob Straub.
The next pair is St Leonhard and St Charles Borromeo: both are characterised by detailed folding of their clothing, a remarkable sideward-bending of their bodies as well as the mannered finger postures (especially St Charles Borromeo shows a nonchalant way of holding the crucifix in his left hand which is almost in a horizontal position).
Next to the high altar there are the depictions of St Joseph and St Anna with Mary. The latter again appears very calm and stiff, while the former is characterised by an artful drapery, which includes a bowl-shaped fold under his left arm which is holding Baby Jesus. His head is bent towards his son, who grasps for Josephs beard.
Opposite the pulpit there is the extraordinary sculpture of St John of Nepomuk, surrounded by four angels (one with palm leaf, one with crucifix and two with candle-holders). The body composition and finger posture of the saint remind of Straub.
Construction / Execution
The sculptures are made of carved wood. They are standing on polygonal, green-coloured plinths which are situated on baroque corbels. On them, there are rocaille-cartouches with the name of the respective saint in the centre.
Components
- Sculpture
- Author: (workshop) Philipp Jakob Straub
- Completed: ca. 1750
- Technique(s): wood carving
- Material(s): wood
- Polychromy
- Completed: ca. 1750
- Material(s): gold leaf, red bole
Comment
Considering the presumable time of the sculptures origin (ca 1750) they should comply with Philipp Jakob Straub’s middle period, what only applies to five of the nine sculptures (St Leonhard, St Lucia, St Charles Borromeo, St Joseph and St John of Nepomuk). Therefore it’s assumable, that he executed this order in cooperation with members of his workshop.
Images
- The sculpture of St Francis, parish church, Anger (photo by Diocesan Museum Graz, 2005)
- The sculpture of St Odilia, parish church, Anger (photo by Diocesan Museum Graz, 2005)
- The sculpture of St Francis, parish church, Anger (photo by Diocesan Museum Graz, 2005)
- The sculpture of St Anne, parish church, Anger (photo by Diocesan Museum Graz, 2005)
- The sculpture of St Joseph, parish church, Anger (photo by Diocesan Museum Graz, 2005)
- The sculpture of St John of Nepomuk, parish church, Anger (photo by Diocesan Museum Graz, 2005)
Catalogue entry prepared by Eva Klein and Christina Pichler
Recommended citation: Eva Klein and Christina Pichler, Nine corbel figures in the nave of the parish church of Anger, in: TrArS – Tracing the Art of the Straub Family, 2018, (accessed 03/02/2026) URL
