Location
Austria, Styria, Birkfeld
Parish Church St Peter and Paul (Pfarrkirche Hl Petrus und Paulus)
Birkfeld
Artwork
The Rosary Altar in the southern conch of the Parish church of Birkfeld
Type
Side altar
Dimensions
Height: 800 cm, width: 550 cm
Critical History
The Rosary altar has been documentary mentioned in 1768.1 Therefore, it’s attributable to Philipp Jakob Straub’s late style, which began in the 1760s. It is supposed that the artist was influenced by the classicistic style of Veit Königer at that time.2
On the altar mensa, in a niche, lies the sculpture of St Rosalia, bedded on a rock formation. Above, standing under a carved canopy, we see the Madonna as Queen of Heaven with her son, who is humbly worshipped by St Dominic (left) and St Theresa of Avila (right), who fostered praying the rosary. At the outer edge, standing in a very dynamic way on a console, there are the sculptures of Anna and Joachim who have stretched upwards the respective inner arm. Their attributes (book and shepherd’s spade) are held by two putti above them. In the upper zone we see John the Baptist (left) as well as John the Evangelist (right) and respective one angel beside them. The former is comparable to John the Baptist from the baptismal font in the parish church St. Ruprecht an der Raab. 3 There are several more putti (heads) on the altar.
Construction / Execution
On the backside of the altar there are add-ons, which probably could be associated with some procession customs.
The size of the sculptures in the lower zone is: Rosalia H 53 cm, W 22,5 cm/Madonna H 150 cm, W 80 cm/Dominic H 130 cm, W 91 cm/ Theresia H 140 cm, W 102 cm/Anna H 180 cm, W 80 cm/Joachim H 190 cm, W 90 cm
Components
- Carpentry
- Author: Philipp Jakob Straub (Wiesensteig 1706 – Graz 1774)
- Completed: 1768
- Technique(s): sawing
- Material(s): wood
- Sculpture
- Author: Philipp Jakob Straub (Wiesensteig 1706 – Graz 1774)
- Completed: 1768
- Technique(s): wood carving
- Material(s): wood
- Polychromy
- Sculptures
- Completed: 1768
- Material(s): gold leaf, red bole
Comment
The altar of St Cross in Varaždin Cathedral shows sculptures of angels in the form and physiognomy similar to those on the Rosary altar, but in postures found on the organ of the parish church in Birkfeld.
Images
- The Rosary altar in the parish church of Birkfeld (photo by Diocesan Museum Graz, Christina Pichler, 2015)
- St Dominic, Detail, Rosary altar, Birkfeld (photo by Diocesan Museum Graz, Christina Pichler, 2015)
- St Theresa of Avila, Detail, Rosary altar, Birkfeld (photo by Diocesan Museum Graz, Christina Pichler, 2015)
- St Anna, Detail, Rosary altar, Birkfeld (photo by Diocesan Museum Graz, Christina Pichler, 2015)
- St Joachim, Detail, Rosary altar, Birkfeld (photo by Diocesan Museum Graz, Christina Pichler, 2015)
- St John the Baptist, Detail, Rosary altar, Birkfeld (photo by Diocesan Museum Graz, Christina Pichler, 2015)
Catalogue entry prepared by Eva Klein and Christina Pichler
Recommended citation: Eva Klein and Christina Pichler, The Rosary Altar in the southern conch of the Parish church of Birkfeld, in: TrArS – Tracing the Art of the Straub Family, 2018, (accessed 03/02/2026) URL
