Location
Croatia, Sisak-Moslavina County, Gornja Jelenska
Parish church of Saint John the Baptist (Župna crkva sv. Ivana Krstitelja)
Artwork
The Side Altar of Saint Barbara in the Parish Church of Saint John the Baptist in Gornja Jelenska
Type
Side altar
Dimensions
Height: 359 cm, width: 185 cm, depth: 80 cm
Inscriptions
- 1764/1858/1934/1977 (in the cartouche)
- Altare HOC / SUB cura D. PaROChi Petre BVBStiCh Anno / 1778 / PER ELMOSyNAM CAPELLA ERRECTUM ES. PROT Et ALIA DVO / CATHEDRARIA PERPRIVS ID EST IN ANNO 1762 SVB LOCAM / PAROCHO APPOSITA PRAEESTITERUNT PRO GLORIA DEI Et SANCOTUM / Mr Sm honorem (on the high altar, behind the tabernacle)
Critical History
The church was built in 1756 when it was still a part of the parish of Velika Ludina. Gornja Jelenska acquired the status of a parish in 1789.1 The record of the canonical visitation in 1758 mentioned that two new mensas for the side altars had already been built whereas the retables would be constructed in due time thanks to the contributions by the parishioners. The main donor of the church was count [George] Erdődy, but the extent of his role for the commission of the side altars is still uncertain. 2 Just like its counterpart the right side altar of Annunciation, the first written record of the newly erected left side altar of Saint Barbara was in the text of the canonical visitation in 1765. 3 Doris Baričević attributed the altar to the workshop or followers of Veit Königer, commenting that sculptures show lower quality. 4
In 2018, however, Martina Ožanić attributed the altar and its sculptures to Franz Anton and his workshop. 5 Due to several layers of repolychromy, and especially due to the last repolychromy of poor aesthetic qualities, it is difficult to discern the details of artistic expression. However, the sculptures of Saint Lucy and Saint Apollonia bear considerable similarities in facial features and costumes to the sculptures of St Catherine and St Barbara (St Elizabeth of Thuringia) on the side altar of Saint Anna in Čučerje, which have been attributed to Franz Anton Straub. Whether they are the work of the master himself or his workshop might be revealed after conservation-restoration works. Lower quality of the sculptures of putti on the attic indicate they were probably carried out by an unknown assistant in the workshop.
Construction / Execution
The side altar of Saint Barbara is situated on the left side of the triumphal arch and is identical to its counterpart, the right side altar of Annunciation. The deep concave architecture of the retable has two pairs of columns standing beside the central painting (unknown painter, 19th century?), and sculptures of Saint Lucy on the left and Saint Apollonia on the right. The attic is built of massive ornamental volutes with a central Maria monogram in glory, and two small adorning putti sitting on both ends of the entablature.
Components
- Carpentry
- Author: (workshop) Franz Anton Straub
- Completed: 1762 – 1764
- Patron(s): multiple, parishioners
- Technique(s): sawing
- Sculpture
- Author: (workshop) Franz Anton Straub
- Completed: 1762 – 1764
- Patron(s): multiple, parishioners
- Technique(s): wood carving
- Polychromy
- Completed: 1764
- Technique(s): water gilding, woodgraining
- Material(s): gold leaf, red bole
- Polychromy
- First repolychromy
- Completed: 1858
- Polychromy
- Second repolychromy
- Completed: 1934
- Polychromy
- Third repolychromy
- Author: Nada Žagar
- Completed: 1977
- Material(s): metallic pigment
- Polychromy
- Third repolychromy
- Author: Stjepan Pleše
- Completed: 1977
- Material(s): metallic pigment
- Painting
- St Barbara
- Completed: ca. 1858
- Technique(s): oil on canvas
Comment
The inscriptions in the cartouche (Ins. 1) document the year of altar's execution, as well as the following renovations, the last one being in 1977. This has been confirmed in the Parish records from that year which stated that Ivica Markan had painted the architecture of the altars, while Stjepan Pleše and his assistant student Nada Žagar had painted the sculptures. They were all residents of Gornja Jelenska.6
According to the record of the canonical vistation in 1765, it seems that both side altars were originally painted in brown colour (imitating wood) with all of the ornaments gilded, which is unique in Franz Anton's ouvre. The presence of painted walnut woodgrain and gilded areas in the first layer of polychromy was also confirmed by the conservation-restoration investigations.7
Conservation-restoration
- 2018–2019
Treatment Description
The conservation-restoration investigations were carried out by Karlo Vučković and Mislav Fleck from the private company REST-KON ART d.o.o.
Images
- Side altar of Saint Barbara, parish church of Saint John the Baptist (Photo by Croatian Conservation Institute, Goran Tomljenović, 2018)
- Sculpture of Saint Lucy (Photo by Croatian Conservation Institute, Goran Tomljenović, 2018)
- Sculpture of Saint Apollonia (Photo by Croatian Conservation Institute, Goran Tomljenović, 2018)
Catalogue entry prepared by Martina Ožanić and Ksenija Škarić
Recommended citation: Martina Ožanić and Ksenija Škarić, The Side Altar of Saint Barbara in the Parish Church of Saint John the Baptist in Gornja Jelenska, in: TrArS – Tracing the Art of the Straub Family, 2018, (accessed 19/11/2025) URL
