Location
Germany, Bavaria, Munich
Catholic parish church St. Michael in Munich, Berg am Laim (Kath. Pfarrkirche St. Michael in München, Berg am Laim)
Artwork
The diagonal altar (southeast) St John of Nepomuk in the catholic parish church, former court-, knightsorder- and archbrotherhood church of St Michael in Munich, Berg am Laim
Type
Side altar
Dimensions
Height: 930 cm, width: 402 cm
Critical History
1743 contract with J. B. Straub on the four diagonal altars (610 fl.). On 1. 5. 1744 the altar of the Virgin Mary and the Nepomuk altar were erected in the place of the large side altars. With the construction of the large side altars the altar of St Mary and the Nepomukaltar were moved to their current locations. The result was the need for manual adjustments of very simple craftmansship. Altarpiece of J. B. Zimmermann 1744 (150 fl.). Painting of the altar architecture 1750 by Johann Michael Kaufmann (145fl.).1
Diagonal altar (southeast) with altarpiece St John Nepomuk accompanied by the statues of the apostle John and Jakob the Older. Above a gloriole with five stars. All the side altars are connect by a complete apostles cycle.
Construction / Execution
Wood, completly gilded with impact metal in the last renovation before 2009
Documents about the restaurations exist only since 20th century.
A photograph from the second half of the 19th century already shows a marbling of the retable, which was originally gilded with trash metal. This marbling again differs significantly from that of 1935/36.2
Components
- Carpentry
- Diagonal altar St John Nepomuk in he catholic parish church, former court-,knightsorder- and archbrotherhood church of St. Michael in Munich, Berg-am-Laim
- Completed: ca. 1743 – 1744
- Patron(s): owner, monastery
- Technique(s): sawing
- Material(s): wood
- Sculpture
- Diagonal altar St John Nepomuk in he catholic parish church, former court-,knightsorder- and archbrotherhood church of St. Michael in Munich, Berg-am-Laim
- Author: Johann Baptist Straub (Wiesensteig ca. 1704 – Munich 1784)
- Completed: ca. 1743 – 1744
- Patron(s): owner, monastery
- Technique(s): wood carving
- Material(s): wood
- Polychromy
- Diagonal altar St John Nepomuk in he catholic parish church, former court-,knightsorder- and archbrotherhood church of St. Michael in Munich, Berg-am-Laim
- Author: Johan Michael Kaufmann
- Completed: ca. 1750 – ca. 1750
Conservation-restoration
- 1980-82
Treatment Description
1980–1982 cleaning and partly new gilding by the company Mayerhofer, carpenter repairs.
- 2008-2009
Treatment Description
State 2005: Under the marbling only fragments of the first version (matt gold) were preserved. According to the analysis it is brass as impact metal with a mixture of about 86% copper and 13% zinc. 3
Last restauration spring 2008 - september 2009 by company Erwin Wiegerling.The altar was largely gilded by impact metal/brass (predella and mensa) in the last renovation 2005–2009:
Transport of figurative equipment, preservation of the visible structure and reconstruction of the original gilding in impact metal, including the existing gilding at Predella and Mensa: securing, dry and damp cleaning, consolidation, sculptural additions, additions od gesso, retouching and gilding of defects.4
Images
- Altar St John Nepomuk in St Michael in Munich, Berg-am-Laim, Photo: M. Mannewitz, 2018
- Altar St John Nepomuk in St Michael in Munich, Berg-am-Laim, Photo: M. Mannewitz, 2018
Catalogue entry prepared by Martin Mannewitz
Recommended citation: Martin Mannewitz, The diagonal altar (southeast) St John of Nepomuk in the catholic parish church, former court-, knightsorder- and archbrotherhood church of St Michael in Munich, Berg am Laim, in: TrArS – Tracing the Art of the Straub Family, 2018, (accessed 26/01/2026) URL
