Chapel of St John of Nepomuk on the way to Castle Thannhausen (Kapelle Hl Nepomuk an der Auffahrt zum Schloss Thannhausen)
Thannhausen
Artwork
The sculpture of St John of Nepomuk in Thannhausen
Type
Sculpture
Critical History
The sculpture of St John of Nepomuk is standing on a plinth in the middle of a small chapel dedicated to the saint. He is standing with outspread arms, the left raised and holding a crucifix at which he looks in a transfigured way. His posture is very expressive and soulful. The sculpture is attributable to Straub’s expressive creative period, in which he increased his expression repertoire and technical skill.1 It is comparable to the altar-sculptures of the parish church in Paldau. Especially the left angel appears in a similar expressive posture (the left free leg is visible through the clothing in both cases).
Construction / Execution
The sculpture is made of carved sandstone and partially coloured in gold.
Components
Sculpture
Author: Philipp Jakob Straub (Wiesensteig 1706 – Graz 1774)
Completed: 1750 – 1775
Technique(s): stone carving
Material(s): sandstone
Polychromy
Completed: 1750 – 1775
Images
The statue of St John of Nepomuk in Thannhausen (photo by Nathalie Winter, 2018)
St John of Nepomuk, detail, Thannhausen (photo by Nathalie Winter, 2018)
Catalogue entry prepared by Eva Klein and Christina Pichler
Recommended citation: Eva Klein and Christina Pichler, The sculpture of St John of Nepomuk in Thannhausen, in: TrArS – Tracing the Art of the Straub Family, 2018, (accessed 24/01/2026) URL
Sources and Bibliography
Horst Schweigert, Philipp Jakob Straub (1706–1774). Ein Grazer Barockbildhauer, in: Studien zur Kunstgeschichte Steiermarks, Horst Schweigert (ed.), Kumberg, Sublilium Schaffer Verlag, 1992, 309–329
