Hoppe 2022 - Die Erneuerung der Malkunst am Mittelrhein in der Generation vor Albrecht Dürer. Das künstlerische Umfeld des Wolfegger Hausbuches (original) (raw)

2022, Stephan Hoppe / Christoph Graf zu Waldburg Wolfegg (eds.): Das Wolfegger Hausbuch. Was ein Fürst an der Schwelle zur Neuzeit wissen musste

This study (in German), argues that in painting on the Middle Rhine in the 1470s and 1480s new artistic principles and medial innovations can be observed, which could certainly claim a disruptive character. Their epicenter is to be searched for, taking into account the research of the last decades. An art-historical comparison of the painters' workshops operating in cities such as Frankfurt, Worms, Mainz, and Speyer highlights the distinctive role the episcopal city of Mainz likely played. By the 1470s, Mainz had evolved into a contemporary princely residence with a corresponding surge in art and media production. This environment enabled the publisher Peter Schöffer and, subsequently, the painter Erhard Reuwich to establish an innovative workshop focused on book production. Operating outside the constraints of traditional guilds, they had the freedom to employ a larger, more diverse workforce with a broad spectrum of experiences, leading to the creation of unconventional artistic products. The article presents arguments that attribute the known manuscript of the Wolfegg Hausbuch, which was created around 1480/86, to the workshop of Erhard Reuwich. Reuwich, who immigrated from Utrecht around 1470 and came from a renowned family of painters there, could be recognised as the "Master of the Amsterdam Cabinet" (the traditional "Master of the Housebook", "Hausbuchmeister"), who has been the subject of lively debate among researchers since the 19th century. This is not a new thesis, but here new arguments are added according to the advancements of historical research. The second main artist of the Hausbuch, convincingly separated from the former by Hess in the 1990s, would then probably have been a staff member of Reuwich. There is new evidence for this as well. This "Master WB" was identified with the Nuremberg-born Wolfgang Beuerer. In summary, the examination of the artistic output from Erhard Reuwich's Mainz workshop during the final third of the 15th century reveals an extensive network within both Dutch artistic circles (Utrecht, Brussels, Bruges, etc.) and the Franconian region. This depth and breadth of connections in the realm of painting was unprecedented in the Middle Rhine region. Further research is necessary to delve into these artistic and intellectual connections in more detail.