Pilgrimage church Maria Lebing (Wallfahrtskirche Maria Lebing)
Maria Lebing
Artwork
The right side altar on the place of the former triumphal arch in the pilgrimage church Maria Lebing
Type
Side altar
Critical History
In the place of the former triumphal arch, two side altars were erected in 1744/45.1 The southern one is dedicated to St Donate and shows the sculptures of St Patricius and St Florian. The former is shown in a twisted manner and in a pronounced contrapost. His hands are raised; the eyes rest on the ox at his feet. St Florian shows the typical Straub-physiognomy and the pathetic-expressive gesture is comparable to that of Margrave Leopold and St Aegydius on the altar of St Nepomuk in the parish church of Graz. The sculptures are attributable to the artist’s “expressive” period because they are very vivacious concerning their gesture, clothing and physiognomy.2 The angels on the entablature are also very dynamic and typical for the artist’s oeuvre: wide-spread wings, bouffant cloak that only covers the lower body and expressive postures. The right one shows the artist’s slight tendency of uncovering the bodies in a provocative manner, which can also be seen at the angels of the high altar in the parish church of Paldau.
Construction / Execution
The sculptures are made of carved and coloured wood.
Components
Carpentry
Completed: 1744 – 1745
Technique(s): sawing
Material(s): wood
Sculpture
Author: Philipp Jakob Straub (Wiesensteig 1706 – Graz 1774)
Completed: 1744 – 1745
Technique(s): wood carving
Material(s): wood
Polychromy
Completed: 1744 – 1745
Material(s): gold leaf, red bole
Images
The right side altar of the pilgrimage church Maria Lebing, Hartberg (photo by Christina Pichler, 2018)
The sculpture of St Patricius, pilgrimage church Maria Lebing, Hartberg (photo by Christina Pichler, 2018)
3. St Patricius, detail, pilgrimage church Maria Lebing, Hartberg (photo by Christina Pichler, 2018)
The sculpture of St Florian, pilgrimage church Maria Lebing, Hartberg (photo by Christina Pichler, 2018)
Angel on the entablature (left), pilgrimage church Maria Lebing, Hartberg (photo by Christina Pichler, 2018)
Angel on the entablature (right), pilgrimage church Maria Lebing, Hartberg (photo by Christina Pichler, 2018)
Catalogue entry prepared by Christina Pichler and Dagmar Probst
Recommended citation: Christina Pichler and Dagmar Probst, The right side altar on the place of the former triumphal arch in the pilgrimage church Maria Lebing, in: TrArS – Tracing the Art of the Straub Family, 2018, (accessed 14/11/2025) URL
Sources and Bibliography
Christliche Kunststätten Österreichs, Wallfahrtskirche Maria Lebing in Hartberg, Nr. 246, Salzburg, Verlag St Peter, 1994
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
