Location
Slovenia, Spodnja Polskava
Parish Church of St Stephen (Župnijska cerkev sv. Štefana)
Artwork
The high altar of the Parish Church of St Stephen in Spodnja Polskava
Type
High altar
Dimensions
Height: 650 cm, width: 620 cm, depth: 106 cm
Critical History
The Parish Church of St Stephen in Spodnja Polskava was visited by the visitator in 1751, 1756, 1760 and 1766.1 In all visitation records the high altar and the four side altars are mentioned.2 The high altar of the parish church of St Stephen in Spodnja Polskava was attributed to Joseph Straub by Sergej Vrišer.3 In the central niche of the altar there is a kneeling statue of St Stephen. The statues of St Peter and St Paul are set on the arches of the portals left and right of the altarpiece (Opfergangsportale). In the attic there is the representation of the Holy Trinity – Jesus and God the Father have especially vivid postures and several similarities with Joseph Straub`s other works. There are many angels, putti and angel heads on the altar, but we should point out two seraphs on the sides of the niche, because they represent a unique motif in Joseph Straub`s opus.
The architecture of the altar represents a common type in Joseph Straub`s opus – with the four columns in the main part and attic with the representation of heavenly glory.
Construction / Execution
The high altar is made of wood and is completely repolychromed.
The back side of the altar is well finished and has smoothen surface because it was meant to be seen during certain procession activities.
Components
- Carpentry
- Carpentry
- Technique(s): sawing, wood carving
- Material(s): softwood
- Sculpture
- Sculpture
- Author: Joseph Straub (Wiesensteig 1712 – Maribor 1756)
- Technique(s): wood carving
- Material(s): limewood
- Polychromy
- Polychromy
- Technique(s): oil, water gilding
- Material(s): bole, gold leaf
- Polychromy
- First repolychromy
- Technique(s): oil
- Material(s): oil
- Polychromy
- Second repolychromy
- Technique(s): oil
- Material(s): metallic pigment
Comment
Wood is infected by wood- boring insects and fungi. Some pieces of ornamental carving are missing. The ground with painting layer is lifting and falling off on several parts of polychromy, especially on gilded parts where the ground is thicker.
The first polychromation of the altar architecture was an imitation of marble in blue and brown shades. Drapery of the sculptures, angel wings and ornamentation were gilded to imitate gold.
Images
- The high altar of the Parish Church of St Stephen in Spodnja Polskava (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
- The sculpture of St Paul (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
- The sculpture of St Peter (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
- The sculpture of St Stephen (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
- The atic of the altar (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
- The atic of the altar, detail (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
- The sculpture of angel (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
- The sculpture of seraph (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
- The high altar of the Parish Church of St Stephen in Spodnja Polskava, old photograph (source of the photo: Regional Archive Maribor)
Catalogue entry prepared by Valentina Pavlič and Saša Dolinšek
Recommended citation: Valentina Pavlič and Saša Dolinšek, The high altar of the Parish Church of St Stephen in Spodnja Polskava, in: TrArS – Tracing the Art of the Straub Family, 2018, (accessed 31/10/2025) URL
