The sculptures of putti from the side altar of the Holy Cross from the minorite Church of St Peter and Paul in Ptuj
Type
Side altar
Critical History
The side altar of the Holy Cross in the minorite Church of St Peter and Paul was mentioned for the first time in the chronicle of the minorite monastery and church written by Ludvik Pečko.1 It was attributed to Joseph Straub by Sergej Vrišer because of the stylistic similarities with his other works.2
The altar (as well as the church and the monastery) was demolished in the bombing in 1945. There are some preserved photographs, but none of them focusing on the side altar of the Holy Cross. Therefore we can reconstruct only in part his original appearance. Three sculptures of putti have survived, and today they are on display in the chapel of St Anthony of Padua in the rebuilt church. Two of them are bigger and were set on the sides of the altar, while the third one was sitting in the upper part of the altar.
Components
Sculpture
Sculpture
Author: Joseph Straub (Wiesensteig 1712 – Maribor 1756)
Images
The sculpture of putto from the altar of the Holy Cross (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
Catalogue entry prepared by Valentina Pavlič and Saša Dolinšek
Recommended citation: Valentina Pavlič and Saša Dolinšek, The sculptures of putti from the side altar of the Holy Cross from the minorite Church of St Peter and Paul in Ptuj, in: TrArS – Tracing the Art of the Straub Family, 2018, (accessed 19/11/2025) URL
Sources and Bibliography
The Historical Archive Ptuj , Ludvik Pečko, Geschichte des Minoritenklosters und von der Pfarre St. Peter u. Paul zu Pettau, SI ZAP 70, R-32, 1861, URL
Mirko Godina, Samostan sv. Petra in Pavla na Ptuju, in: Pax et bonum: spominski listi posvečeni sedemstoletnici minoritskega samostana v Ptuju, Ptuj, Minoritski samostan, 1939, 107–115
Sergej Vrišer, Mariborski baročni kiparji, in: Zbornik za umetnostno zgodovino, n. v. IV, 1957, 71–127
Sergej Vrišer, Baročno kiparstvo na slovenskem Štajerskem, Maribor, Obzorja, 1963
Sergej Vrišer, Doneski k baročni podobi minoritske cerkve v Ptuju, in: Ptujski zbornik, 5, 1985, 339–344
Sergej Vrišer, Baročna podoba cerkve sv. Petra in Pavla, Minoritski samostan na Ptuju: 1239–1989, Ptuj [i. e.], Celje, Mohorjeva družba, 1989, 295–307
Sergej Vrišer, Baročno kiparstvo na slovenskem Štajerskem, Ljubljana, Slovenska matica, 1992
Amadeja Pernat, Baročna oprema minoritske cerkve, in: Minoritska zbirka. Del 1, Ostanki srednjeveškega slikarstva in kiparstva ter baročne oltarne plastike iz prvotne minoritske cerkve sv. Petra in Pavla, Ptuj, Pokrajinski muzej Ptuj – Ormož, 2014
