The stained-glass window contains a figure of a saint in each of the four lancet-shaped strips. They are, from left to right, Mauritius, Sebastian, Catherine and Barbara, all of whom suffered martyrdom. A pair of youthful figures appears in each of the head panels, allegorically representing the innocence of the martyrs.
In the central fields, the saints stand in partly animated gestures and indicate the story of their martyrdom with their attributes. Above Mauritius, Sebastian and Catherine, light figures of angels and souls of the deceased swoop. Deep black crows fly past. With this, Mehoffer conspicuously hints at the struggle between good and evil. With the large tower behind Barbara, Mehoffer pays reference to his homeland: it represents the Schreiner Tower in Krakow.
The images in the bottom row are particularly exciting. They depict the dying of the martyrs in an incredible way. All four saints, painted in complete nudity on white glass, are pictured at the moment of their death throes: Mauritius, his neck cut by a sword, red blood pouring over his chest; Sebastian, pierced by arrows, which also results in streaming blood over his heaving chest; Catherine, tumbling headlong from the wheel with her bosom uncovered to the ground; and Barbara, lying sideways on the ground with her legs drawn up. Each of the holy figures is accompanied by a female lament figure who, in the case of the male protagonists, nestles particularly closely and lovingly against the martyr, bending over him or, in the case of Mauritius, embracing his upper body with both hands. The subliminal eroticism of these images is unmistakable, which has led to heated discussions in public.
The window is entirely committed to the Art Nouveau. This draws its inspiration from the forms of the plant and animal world. The figures are often stylised to make use of a formal language consisting of undulating lines. The world of flowers is dominant. In golden colour, it spreads between the middle and lower part of the window. In addition, there are imaginative, colourful flowers that resemble butterflies or whose petals look like lips. In addition to the flower shapes, the colours are also symbolic. The flower carpet, on which the bodies of the martyrs lie, stands for the blessed seeds of Christianity. Red and violet express death and mourning. Mehoffer has exploited the whole palette in this work, juxtaposing the strongest colours with the gentlest tones. Despite these tensions, the unity of the whole is preserved.
Depicted place
mini
in chronological order: stained glass windows in the aisle chapels
of Apostles
of Our Lady of Victory
of the Martyrs (detail)
of Eucharist
of Epiphany
of St. Ann etc.
of the bishops and deacons
of Nicholas of Flüe
in the choir
of Trinity: «God the Father»
of Trinity: «God the Son»
of Trinity: «God the Holy Spirit»
of history
of church history
Date
between 1898 and 1899
date QS:P571,+1898-00-00T00:00:00Z/8,P1319,+1898-00-00T00:00:00Z/9,P1326,+1899-00-00T00:00:00Z/9
The stained-glass window was designed by Jósef Mehoffer. It was executed by the studio Kirsch & Fleckner, which presented the window at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900 and was awarded a gold medal for this work.
Hortensia von Roda: Die Glasmalereien von Józef Mehoffer in der Kathedrale St. Nikolaus in Freiburg i. Üe. Gesellschaft für Schweizerische Kunstgeschichte (Hrsg.). Bern: Benteli 1995, (= Beiträge zur Kunstgeschichte der Schweiz, Bd. 7), ISBN: 3-7165-0969-8
Anna Zenczak, Xavier Deryng, Marta Smolinska-Byczuk, Beata Studzizba, Joanna Wapiennik-Kossowicz: Józef Mehoffer (1869-1946). Un peintre symboliste polonais. Paris et Milan: Musèe d'Orsay et 5 Continents Éditions, 2004 (catalogue d'exposition sous le même titre au Musée d'Orsay, Paris, du 16 juin - 12 septembre 2004) ISBN: 2-905724-11-0 et 88-7439-167-6.
Source/Photographer
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