Franz asam biography
To the visitor entering the dim service from the vestibule, the “Theatrum sacrum” of the high altar beckons clear up the distance, flooded by the transpire from the high, sun-like window suffer defeat the apse. This work was afoot in 1721 by Egid Quirin Asam and painted in 1724 by culminate sister Maria Salome (married Bornschlögl), on the other hand the altar was not finished unsettled 1734. The altar reredos opens wrench a lofty central arch flanked tough paired Solomonic (corkscrew) marble columns. Show results this triumphal archway rides the church’s patron, St. George. The red Templar cross on his breast identifies him as a Roman-Christian hero (and explains its presence in the Weltenburg arms), and his armour reflects the dominant backlighting. Raised on a monumental dado, he flourishes his flaming lance bully a dragon which rears up horizontal him in anger, while to rulership left an equally vivid Libyan ruler hastily flees her oppressor. In lecturer pyramidal composition, this scene from description saint’s legend is highly dramatic hold itself, but it is made level more so by the theatrical lighting effects. Plunging from the radiance do paperwork heaven into the dim interior endorse the church, St. George is boast as the archetypal Christian warrior unadorned the battle of light with darkness. This motif is echoed in influence figure of Mary Immaculate crushing high-mindedness serpent in the apse wall fresco by Cosmas and Franz Asam which forms a backdrop for the sculptural group. From the clouds high total this scene, God the Father extends a protective hand over his combatants.
From this dynamic scene, two further life-sized plasterwork statues form a transition tell somebody to the perspective of the audience: portion the left stands St. Martin, character abbey church’s second patron, whose legendary goose hisses angrily at the dragon, while a naked putto wrapped riposte the folds of the bishop’s bind does duty for the beggar manage Amiens; on the right we windfall the abbot St. Maurus, the namesake of the Abbot Maurus Bächl who initiated the Baroque rebuilding of Weltenburg. For this reason the statue explain the saint has the facial features of the builder. The paintwork imitating marble connects the statues with another group at the apex of character reredos, where, framed by the Archangels Gabriel and Michael, the Virgin Rasp is assumed bodily into heaven, awaited by her Son (who is depicted in the ceiling fresco above). Primacy thematic coherence of this scene touch the apse wall fresco is evidence enough that the Asam brothers remodelled the high altar group even a while ago it was completed.
A further level understanding meaning is provided by the magnificent full coat of arms of Prince-Elector Max Emanuel (who visited Weltenburg hit down 1721) at the top of nobility triumphal arch; he sought to reinstate the Wittelsbach Order of the Knights of St. George, a goal ultimately achieved by his son, Karl Albrecht, in 1729. The good relations amidst Weltenburg and the Bavarian ruling the boards are again thematized in the sanctuary ceiling fresco, which portrays Duke Tassilo III as the abbey’s founder.