Location
Austria, Styria, Rein
Collegiate Church (Stiftskirche)
Rein
Artwork
The side altar of St Narcissus in the Collegiate church in Rein
Type
Side altar
Critical History
According to the monastery’s annalist P. Alanus Lehr, the Narcissus altar wasn’t intended for the collegiate church of Rein at first.1 It was donated by abbot Placidus Mally (1710–1745). The sculptural decoration was dedicated by Philipp Jakob Straub, who also created the auxiliary statues on the nearby Sebastian altar. Here, the expressions are slightly more withdrawn and the attributes are designed more unpretentiously.2
The sculptures of St Valentine and St Blase show typical elements of Philipp Jakob Straub’s characteristic style. These can be summarised under the term "talking bodies"3; they are twisted, the standing is more instable.4 Highly realistic details of the clothing are accompanied by expressive and interrelated gestures, dynamic and expansive postures as well as elegant, but unaffected physiognomies. Their expressive faces show a strong tendency towards Naturalism.
Construction / Execution
Both sculptures are made of carved wood and are hollowed out deeply.
Components
- Carpentry
- Completed: 1742 – 1743
- Technique(s): sawing
- Material(s): wood
- Sculpture
- St Valentine, St Blase
- Author: Philipp Jakob Straub (Wiesensteig 1706 – Graz 1774)
- Completed: 1742 – 1743
- Patron(s): Philipp Jakob Straub, artist
- Technique(s): wood carving
- Material(s): wood
- Polychromy
- Sculptures
- Completed: 1742 – 1743
- Material(s): gold leaf, red bole
Comment
The sculptures as well as the whole altar were gilded by clerc Andreas Schmid in 1747.5
Conservation-restoration
- 2014
Strategy: removing varnish
Treatment Description
Before the last restoration in 2014, both statues had a very shiny, yellowish varnish on their well-preserved carnation. They showed massive surface-fouling, woodworm-holes as well as occasional damages of the colouring. Because of uniformly reduced gold leaves, the poliment was partially visible and noticeable bronze refitments were made. Another problem occurred due to vertical cracks because of wood shrinkage as well as some scorch marks (epileptic beneath St Valentine). Because of missing parts it came to supplements which were set in bronze colour (fingers). The aims of the last restoration were the removal of the modern varnish under UV-light as well as the conservation of the altar (aesthetic corrections in the damaged and supplemented areas) to achieve a harmoniously overall appearance.6
Images
- Side altar of St. Narcissus in the collegiate church in Rein (photo by U. Thomann, Restaurierungswerkstätte, 2014)
- The statue of St Valentine (photo by Elisabeth Brenner, 2014)
- The statue of St Blase (photo by Elisabeth Brenner, 2014)
Catalogue entry prepared by Christina Pichler, Margit Stadlober
Recommended citation: Christina Pichler, Margit Stadlober, The side altar of St Narcissus in the Collegiate church in Rein, in: TrArS – Tracing the Art of the Straub Family, 2018, (accessed 26/01/2026) URL
