Location
Slovenia, Celje
Succursal Church of Virgin Mary (Podružnična cerkev sv. Marije)
Artwork
The right side altar in the Succursal Church of Virgin Mary in Celje
Type
Side altar
Dimensions
Height: 630 cm, width: 410 cm, depth: 60 cm
Critical History
The right side altar in the Succursal Church of Virgin Mary in Celje (the church used to be a church of the minorite order) was attributed to Joseph Straub by Sergej Vrišer.1
The side altar is placed by the wall in the church nave and is therefore flat, just like the altar on the opposite side, which is also attributed to Joseph Straub. On the left of the altar painting, there is a sculpture of St Louis of Toulouse, and on the right St Bonaventure. In the upper part, there are two kneeling angels and two putti at the top of the altar. Both sculptures are especially similar to the sculptures from the high altar in minorite church in Ptuj (documented work of Joseph Straub), not only because of the same iconography, but also in details such as the drapery, big open sleeves, hairstyle, big eyes and open mouths.
Construction / Execution
The altar is made of wood. The polychromy of architecture is imitating marble and gold, sculptures are naturalistically painted and have gilded drapery. Paintings are made on canvas and are framed with gilded frame.
Components
- Carpentry
- Carpentry
- Author: Joseph Straub (Wiesensteig 1712 – Maribor 1756)
- Technique(s): sawing
- Material(s): softwood
- Sculpture
- Sculpture
- Author: Joseph Straub (Wiesensteig 1712 – Maribor 1756)
- Patron(s): minorite, religious order
- Technique(s): wood carving
- Material(s): limewood
- Polychromy
- Polychromy
- Technique(s): oil, water gilding
- Material(s): calcium carbonate, gold leaf, red bole, size, yellow bole
- Polychromy
- First repolychromy
- Technique(s): oil, oil gilding, tempera
- Material(s): gold leaf
- Polychromy
- Second repolychromy
- Technique(s): oil
- Material(s): metallic pigment
Comment
In 1990s the altar was restored by private resotrer Anton Podkrižnik. The repolychromies were removed during restoration. The restored first polychromy is visible.
Conservation-restoration
- Restoration of the side altar
Strategy: removing dirt, removing one or several historic repolychromies
Approach to the presentation of losses
Reintegration of lacunae – mimetic: total
Reconstruction of losses: total
Materials: acetone, Bologna chalk, dammar varnish, gold leaf, limewood, rabbit-skin glue, red bole, silver leaf, size, turpentine oil
Images
- The right side altar in the Succursal Church of Virgin Mary (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
- The sculpture of St Louis of Toulouse (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
- The sculpture of St Bonaventure (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
- The sculpture of St Bonaventure, detail (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
- The sculpture of angel from the upper part of the altar (Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, photo by Valentin Benedik, 2018)
- The sculpture of angel from the upper part of the altar (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 right side altar in the Succursal Church of Virgin Mary in Celje, in: TrArS – Tracing the Art of the Straub Family, 2018, (accessed 19/11/2025) URL
