Pilgrimage Church Mariahilf (Wallfahrtskirche Mariahilf)
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Artwork
Two angels on the high altar of the pilgrimage church Mariahilf in Graz
Type
Sculptural group
Critical History
The high altar of Mariahilf was presumably made in 1769.1 It is a marble retable-construction with peripteral portals and a pilaster structure. The high altarpiece depicting the famous votive picture of Mariahilf was created by Giovanni Pietro de Pomis.
Also in 1769, Philipp Jakob Straub created the two side-statues (angels with thuribles).2 They are attributable to the artist’s late style, which includes the period between 1760 and the year of his death 1774. Stylistically they are comparable to the sculptural group of Ehrenhausen (1752/55), which is characterised by its dynamic and high detail precision. The left angel’s free leg apparently steps off the plinth, the billowing draperies of his clothing are following this movement. In his hands he holds the thurible (the sophisticated and delicate position of the fingers is highly remarkable). The same applies to the angel on the right side, although he holds the thurible aside instead in front of his body. His upper body is twisted and bent aside, the head tilted up- and backwards. The left free leg is striding ahead.
Construction / Execution
The sculptures are made of carved wood and they are standing on flat rectangular plinths which are located on consoles left and right of the high altarpiece.
Components
Sculpture
Author: Philipp Jakob Straub (Wiesensteig 1706 – Graz 1774)
Completed: ca. ca. 1769
Technique(s): wood carving
Material(s): wood
Polychromy
Completed: 1769
Images
The high altar of the pilgrimage church Mariahilf, Graz (photo by Anja Lindbichler, 2018)
Angel (left), high altar, pilgrimage church Mariahilf, Graz (photo by Anja Lindbichler, 2018)
Angel (right), detail, high altar, pilgrimage church Mariahilf, Graz (photo by Anja Lindbichler, 2018)
Angel (left), high altar, pilgrimage church Mariahilf, Graz (photo by Anja Lindbichler, 2018)
Catalogue entry prepared by Christina Pichler and Margit Stadlober
Recommended citation: Christina Pichler and Margit Stadlober, Two angels on the high altar of the pilgrimage church Mariahilf in Graz, in: TrArS – Tracing the Art of the Straub Family, 2018, (accessed 29/10/2025) URL
Sources and Bibliography
Dehio. Die Kunstdenkmäler Österreichs. Graz, Wien, Verlag Anton Schroll & Co, 1979
Horst Schweigert, Philipp Jakob Straub (1706–1774). Ein Grazer Barockbildhauer, in: Studien zur Kunstgeschichte Steiermarks, Horst Schweigert (ed.), Kumberg, Sublilium Schaffer Verlag, 1992, 309–329
