Artworks Catalogue

Location

Slovenia, Mozirje

Parish Church of St George (Župnijska cerkev sv. Jurija)

Artwork

Canopy of the Pulpit in the Parish Church of St George in Mozirje

Type

Pulpit

Dimensions

Height: 280 cm, width: 260 cm, depth: 170 cm

Inscriptions

1. Audite con Auribus percipe terra quia Dominus locutus est! Isaias capit (in the cartouche on the pulpit canopy)

Critical History

Ignac Orožen mentioned that the marble body of the pulpit came to the church from an abandoned monastery church in Ljubljana.1 Later, Stegenšek specified that the body of the pulpit had been in the Capuchin Church in Ljubljana, but was removed and transferred to Mozirje after the reform of Joseph II. He mentioned that the canopy was made later than the body.2 Jože Curk dated the canopy to around 1800 and Sergej Vrišer attributed it to Joseph Straub and set the dating to the middle of the 18^th century.3 The canopy must have been in its place when the marble body was transferred from Ljubljana. Therefore the question remains, either there was also a balcony made by Joseph Straub together with the canopy and why a substitution was decided on.

The architecture of the pulpit canopy is ornamented with two volutes, a cartouche, massive ornaments and flower garlands at the sides. At the top of the canopy, a sculpture of an angel with an open book and a trumpet. Two angels hold the cartouche and two flying angels hold the drapery under the roof.

Construction / Execution

The canopy of the pulpit is made of wood and is placed above the older marble body.

The architecture of the canopy imitates black and white marble of the body. The sculptures are naturalistically painted, with gilded drapery and wings.

Components

Carpentry

Carpentry

Technique(s): sawing, wood carving

Material(s): softwood

Sculpture

Sculpture

Author: Joseph Straub (Wiesensteig 1712 – Maribor 1756)

Technique(s): wood carving

Material(s): limewood

Polychromy

Polychromy/repolychromy

Technique(s): oil, water gilding

Material(s): bole, calcium carbonate, gold leaf, silver leaf, size

Comment

We assume that the canopy of the pulpit was restored many years ago because there is a thick layer of dust and dirt on the roof´s surface.

Images

1. The pulpit in the Parish Church of St George in Mozirje (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
2. The canopy of the pulpit in the Parish Church of St George in Mozirje (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
3. The sculpture of an angel of the pulpit in Mozirje (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
4. The sculpture of a putto on the pulpit in Mozirje (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
5. The sculpture of a putto of the pulpit in Mozirje (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)