Location
Slovenia, Slivnica pri Mariboru
Parish Church of Virgin Mary (Župnijska cerkev sv. Marije)
Artwork
The high altar in the Parish Church of Virgin Mary in Slivnica pri Mariboru
Type
High altar
Dimensions
Height: 730 cm, width: 860 cm, depth: 147 cm
Inscriptions
- Altare renovatum anno 1883 Angelo Zoratti (on the back side of the altar)
- Altare renovatum anno 1946 Aloysius Zorati filius Angeli (on the back side of the altar)
Critical History
The high altar in the Parish Church of Virgin Mary in Slivnica pri Mariboru was mentioned in the visitation record from 1751 and 1756.1 Ignac Orožen reported that the altar had an inscription on its back side, revealing that the altar got the new polychromy in 1753 under the parish priest Johann Jacob Dörrer.2 On January 6, 1881, the right side of the high altar as well as the tabernacle caught fire. The renovation works were done by Angelo Zoratti (Ins. 1).3 The altar was attributed to Joseph Straub by Sergej Vrišer.4
The altar`s architecture represents one among the most complex in the opus of Joseph Straub. It is concave with six columns placed forward in space. In the lower part of the altar there are also pilasters and massive ornaments. In the central niche, there is a sculpture of Virgin Mary with Jesus Child, made in 1890 by sculptor Gschiel from Graz, while the polychromy of the sculpture was done by Angelo Zoratti.5 On the left side of the niche, there is a sculpture of St James the Younger and on the right St John the Evangelist. On the arches of the side openings, there are sculptures of St Peter (on the left) and St Paul (on the right). In the upper part of the altar, there are volutes and sculptures of angels and angel heads, which surround the coronation of Virgin Mary by Holy Trinity.
Construction / Execution
The high altar is made of wood. The altar table is made of stone and is covered with wooden antependium. The altar is completely repolychromed.
The back side of the altar has well finished and smoothen surface because it was meant to be seen during certain procession activities.
Components
- Carpentry
- Carpentry
- Completed: 1753
- Technique(s): sawing, wood carving
- Material(s): softwood
- Sculpture
- Sculpture
- Author: Joseph Straub (Wiesensteig 1712 – Maribor 1756)
- Completed: 1753
- Patron(s): Johann Jacob Dörrer, priest
- Technique(s): wood carving
- Material(s): limewood
- Polychromy
- Polychromy
- Patron(s): Johann Jacob Dörrer, priest
- Technique(s): oil, water gilding
- Material(s): bole, gold leaf
- Polychromy
- First repolychromy
- Author: Angelo Zoratti (Udine 1839 – Maribor 1913)
- Completed: 1886
- Technique(s): oil
- Material(s): oil
- Polychromy
- Second repolychromy
- Completed: 1946
- Technique(s): oil
- Material(s): metal leaf, metallic pigment
Comment
The wood is infected by wood-boring insects and fungi. Some pieces of ornamental carving are missing. The left angel in the upper part of the altar fell down and was not returned back, but it was restored. The ground 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, orange and brown shades. The drapery of the sculptures, angel wings and ornaments were gilded to imitate gold.
During the last polychromy, the gilded areas were covered with metal leaves and bronze painting.
Images
- The high altar in the Parish Church of Virgin Mary in Slivnica pri Mariboru (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
- The high altar in the Parish Church of Virgin Mary in Slivnica pri Mariboru (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 Paul (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
- The sculpture of the coronation of Virgin Mary (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
- The sculptures of putti (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 high altar in the Parish Church of Virgin Mary in Slivnica pri Mariboru, in: TrArS – Tracing the Art of the Straub Family, 2018, (accessed 19/11/2025) URL
