Feast of the Rosary
Encyclopedia
The Feast of the Rosary (German: Rosenkranzfest) is a 1506 oil painting
by Albrecht Dürer
, now in the National Gallery
, Prague
, Czech Republic
.
, and had been commissioned by Jacob Fugger
, intermediary between emperor Maximilian I
and Pope Julius II
, during the painter's stay as the banker's guest in Augsburg
.
The contract was renewed in the Italian city by the brotherhoods of the traders from Nurnberg (Dürer's hometown) and from other German cities, the latter being supported by the Fugger family. According to the contract, the painting, to be housed in the church of the German nation in Venice, San Bartolomeo at Rialto
, should be finished before May 1506. The subject was the Feast of the Rosary
, a theme connected to the particular worship that the German citizens in Venice had towards Our Lady of the Rosary
.
The execution however dragged on until September of that year, when the Doge
, the Patriarch
and other Venetian nobles visited Dürer's workshop to see the finished work. In a later letter written to Nurnberg's Senate in 1523, Dürer wrote how, in that occasion, the doge had proposed him the position of the Republic's painter, but he had refused. The visitors included perhaps, among other artists, Giovanni Bellini
.
The work was acquired by emperor Rudolf II
in 1606, who had it moved to Prague. It was assigned to the Strahov Monastery
and, during the centuries, it underwent to several restorations, causing damage to the painted surface. Later it was moved to the Rudolfinum and then to the National Gallery of the Czech capital.
already widespread in the German area at the time. The throne's backrest is covered with a green drape and by a baldachin
which is also hold by two flying cherubims. Below is an angel playing a lute, an evident homage to Giovanni Bellini's altarpieces. Mary is depicted in the act of distributing rose garlands to two groups of kneeling worshippers, portrayed on two symmetrical rows at the sides.
The two rows are headed, on the left, by Pope Sixtus IV (who had been approved the German brotherhood with a bull in 1474), crowned by the Child and followed by a procession of religious figures; and, on the right, by the German emperor Frederick III
(portrayed with the face of his son and patron of Dürer, Maximilian I), crowned by Mary and followed by a lay procession. Dürer likely based his portrait of the emperor on a drawing by Ambrogio de' Predis, who had worked for Maximilian at Innsbruck
. The pope and the emperor, considered at the time the supreme authorities of the Catholic world, have previously deposed the papal tiara
and the imperial crown
, and are now kneeling to receive the Madonna's blessing.
Other angels are distributing crowns of flowers, as well as St. Dominic of Guzman (protector of the adoration of Mary and of the Rosary), who stands at the side of the Virgin. Near the left border is the patriarch of Venice, Antonio Soriano, with the hands joined, and, next to him, Burkard von Speyer, then chaplain of the church of San Bartolomeo, who was also portrayed by Dürer in another painting.
On the right, nearby a lush Alpine landscape, is the artist's self-portrait with a cartouche in a hand: here is the signature with a short inscription, reporting the time needed to complete the work (five months). The characters next to the painter are likely Leonhard Vilt, founder of the Brotherhood of the Rosary in Venice, and (in black) Hieronymus of Augsburg, the architect of the new Fondaco dei Tedeschi. Annexed is the donor's portrait.
The style of the work is reminiscent of some Bellini's works featuring the same quiet monumental appearance, such as the San Giobbe Altarpiece
(1487) or the San Zaccaria Altarpiece
(1505), especially regarding the guitar playing angel in the center. Most the work was subject to later repainting, including the great part of the heads and some half of the panel
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
by Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer
Albrecht Dürer was a German painter, printmaker, engraver, mathematician, and theorist from Nuremberg. His prints established his reputation across Europe when he was still in his twenties, and he has been conventionally regarded as the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance ever since...
, now in the National Gallery
National Gallery in Prague
The National Gallery in Prague is a state-owned art gallery in Prague, Czech Republic. It is housed in different locations within the city, the largest being the Veletržní Palác....
, Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
.
History
The work dates to Dürer's sojourn in VeniceVenice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, and had been commissioned by Jacob Fugger
Jacob Fugger
Jacob Fugger , sometimes known as Jacob Fugger the Rich, was a German banker and a member of the Fugger family.- Biography :...
, intermediary between emperor Maximilian I
Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor
Maximilian I , the son of Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor and Eleanor of Portugal, was King of the Romans from 1486 and Holy Roman Emperor from 1493 until his death, though he was never in fact crowned by the Pope, the journey to Rome always being too risky...
and Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II
Pope Julius II , nicknamed "The Fearsome Pope" and "The Warrior Pope" , born Giuliano della Rovere, was Pope from 1503 to 1513...
, during the painter's stay as the banker's guest in Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
.
The contract was renewed in the Italian city by the brotherhoods of the traders from Nurnberg (Dürer's hometown) and from other German cities, the latter being supported by the Fugger family. According to the contract, the painting, to be housed in the church of the German nation in Venice, San Bartolomeo at Rialto
Rialto
The Rialto is and has been for many centuries the financial and commercial centre of Venice. It is an area of the San Polo sestiere of Venice, Italy, also known for its markets and for the Rialto Bridge across the Grand Canal....
, should be finished before May 1506. The subject was the Feast of the Rosary
Feast of the Rosary
The Feast of the Rosary is a 1506 oil painting by Albrecht Dürer, now in the National Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic.-History:...
, a theme connected to the particular worship that the German citizens in Venice had towards Our Lady of the Rosary
Our Lady of the Rosary
Our Lady of the Rosary is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary in relation to the rosary....
.
The execution however dragged on until September of that year, when the Doge
Doge of Venice
The Doge of Venice , often mistranslated Duke was the chief magistrate and leader of the Most Serene Republic of Venice for over a thousand years. Doges of Venice were elected for life by the city-state's aristocracy. Commonly the person selected as Doge was the shrewdest elder in the city...
, the Patriarch
Patriarch of Venice
The Patriarch of Venice is the ordinary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Venice. The bishop is one of the few Patriarchs in the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church...
and other Venetian nobles visited Dürer's workshop to see the finished work. In a later letter written to Nurnberg's Senate in 1523, Dürer wrote how, in that occasion, the doge had proposed him the position of the Republic's painter, but he had refused. The visitors included perhaps, among other artists, Giovanni Bellini
Giovanni Bellini
Giovanni Bellini was an Italian Renaissance painter, probably the best known of the Bellini family of Venetian painters. His father was Jacopo Bellini, his brother was Gentile Bellini, and his brother-in-law was Andrea Mantegna. He is considered to have revolutionized Venetian painting, moving it...
.
The work was acquired by emperor Rudolf II
Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor
Rudolf II was Holy Roman Emperor , King of Hungary and Croatia , King of Bohemia and Archduke of Austria...
in 1606, who had it moved to Prague. It was assigned to the Strahov Monastery
Strahov Monastery
Strahov Monastery is a Premonstratensian abbey founded in 1149 by Bishop Jindřich Zdík, Bishop John of Prague, and Prince Vladislav II. It is located in Strahov, Prague, Czech Republic.-The founding of a monastery:...
and, during the centuries, it underwent to several restorations, causing damage to the painted surface. Later it was moved to the Rudolfinum and then to the National Gallery of the Czech capital.
Description
The painting shows the Virgin Enthroned holding the Child in the center, with two flying angels who are holding, above her, an elaborated royal crown made of gold, pearls and gems; this was a Flemish art schemeFlemish painting
Flemish painting flourished from the early 15th century until the 17th century. Flanders delivered the leading painters in Northern Europe and attracted many promising young painters from neighbouring countries. These painters were invited to work at foreign courts and had a Europe-wide influence...
already widespread in the German area at the time. The throne's backrest is covered with a green drape and by a baldachin
Baldachin
A baldachin, or baldaquin , is a canopy of state over an altar or throne. It had its beginnings as a cloth canopy, but in other cases it is a sturdy, permanent architectural feature, particularly over high altars in cathedrals, where such a structure is more correctly called a ciborium when it is...
which is also hold by two flying cherubims. Below is an angel playing a lute, an evident homage to Giovanni Bellini's altarpieces. Mary is depicted in the act of distributing rose garlands to two groups of kneeling worshippers, portrayed on two symmetrical rows at the sides.
The two rows are headed, on the left, by Pope Sixtus IV (who had been approved the German brotherhood with a bull in 1474), crowned by the Child and followed by a procession of religious figures; and, on the right, by the German emperor Frederick III
Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick the Peaceful KG was Duke of Austria as Frederick V from 1424, the successor of Albert II as German King as Frederick IV from 1440, and Holy Roman Emperor as Frederick III from 1452...
(portrayed with the face of his son and patron of Dürer, Maximilian I), crowned by Mary and followed by a lay procession. Dürer likely based his portrait of the emperor on a drawing by Ambrogio de' Predis, who had worked for Maximilian at Innsbruck
Innsbruck
- Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus...
. The pope and the emperor, considered at the time the supreme authorities of the Catholic world, have previously deposed the papal tiara
Papal Tiara
The Papal Tiara, also known incorrectly as the Triple Tiara, or in Latin as the Triregnum, in Italian as the Triregno and as the Trirègne in French, is the three-tiered jewelled papal crown, supposedly of Byzantine and Persian origin, that is a prominent symbol of the papacy...
and the imperial crown
Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire
The Imperial Crown , is the hoop crown of the King of the Romans, the rulers of the German Kingdom, since the High Middle Ages. Most of the kings were crowned with it. It was made probably somewhere in Western Germany, either under Otto I , by Conrad II or Conrad III during the late 10th and early...
, and are now kneeling to receive the Madonna's blessing.
Other angels are distributing crowns of flowers, as well as St. Dominic of Guzman (protector of the adoration of Mary and of the Rosary), who stands at the side of the Virgin. Near the left border is the patriarch of Venice, Antonio Soriano, with the hands joined, and, next to him, Burkard von Speyer, then chaplain of the church of San Bartolomeo, who was also portrayed by Dürer in another painting.
On the right, nearby a lush Alpine landscape, is the artist's self-portrait with a cartouche in a hand: here is the signature with a short inscription, reporting the time needed to complete the work (five months). The characters next to the painter are likely Leonhard Vilt, founder of the Brotherhood of the Rosary in Venice, and (in black) Hieronymus of Augsburg, the architect of the new Fondaco dei Tedeschi. Annexed is the donor's portrait.
The style of the work is reminiscent of some Bellini's works featuring the same quiet monumental appearance, such as the San Giobbe Altarpiece
San Giobbe Altarpiece
The San Giobbe Altarpiece is a c. 1487 oil painting by the Italian Renaissance master Giovanni Bellini, now in the Accademia Gallery in Venice.-History:...
(1487) or the San Zaccaria Altarpiece
San Zaccaria Altarpiece
The San Zaccaria Altarpiece is a painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Giovanni Bellini, executed in 1505 and located in the church of San Zaccaria, Venice....
(1505), especially regarding the guitar playing angel in the center. Most the work was subject to later repainting, including the great part of the heads and some half of the panel