Takács Imre – Buzási Enikő – Jávor Anna – Mikó Árpád szerk.: A Magyar Nemzeti Galéria Évkönyve, Művészettörténeti tanulmányok Mojzer Miklós hatvanadik születésnapjára (MNG Budapest, 1991)

SHELEST, Dmitri: Franz Anton Maulbertsch: „Christ on the Cross". Oil Sketch in Lviv (Lemberg)

FRANZ ANTON MAULBERTSCH: „CHRIST ON THE CROSS" OIL SKETCH IN LVTV (LEMBERG) DMITRI SHELEST The previously unknown oil sketch „Christ on the Cross" (Allegory of Salvation)

1 has been in the collection of the Lviv Art Gallery since its foundation in 1907. The picture was purchased for the collection of the landlord Jan Jakovitch from Sitkivtci in Podolia. That time it was regarded as the work of an anonymous artist. In the Gallery Catalogue of 1908 it was described as the work of an unknown Spanish artist from the end of the 17th century.

2 Later the sketch was recognized as the work of an 18th-century Austrian painter: first it was assigned to J. M. Schmidt (KremserSchmidt) and then to F. A Maulbertsch, who is considered to be the author of the picture today.

3 It is interesting to note that the Jakovitch collection enriched the Lviv Gallery with several other oil sketches by Austrian artists of the Late Baroque, and all of them entered the museum as anonymous or incorrectly identified works. Later such important works were attributed to Maulbertsch as „The Baptism of Chrisf'and „The Presentation of the St. Stephan Order" (Verleihung des St. Stephansordens). The first one is the compositional sketch for the Maulbertsch fresco in the Theological Hall (Theologiesaal) of the Old University (today Academy of Sciences) in Vienna, ca. 1767, the second one is a modello for the fresco of the master on the ceiling of the Council Hall of the Hungarian Court Office (Hofkanzlei, today the Hungarian Embassy) in Vienna, 1768. Both sketches are relatively wellknown since they were published by K. Garas and later exhibited in Salzburg.

4 Unlike the others, the sketch „Christ on the Cross", however, has never been published or exhibited. On of the reasons for such neglect may be the painting's fairly bad condition of conservation. There are some losses of paint on the Cross and on the figure of Christ: the lower part of the composition suffered more. One can hardly see the washed-out figures at the foot of the Cross that were partly done in a subtle sketchy manner and partly, it seems possible, remained unfinished. In spite of these defects the picture as a whole has a high artistic quality and should get more attention. However, the freshness of the execution suggests that it is an original invention, so the sketch can be regarded as a bozzetto. The work is full of violent compositional movements. A dark-brown background (on the verge of black) underlines the depth and infinity of the space. The darkness is interrupted by an S-form spiral that begins in the silhouette of the figures at the foot of the gigantic Cross, then rises into the sky as a chain of flying angels and is crowned by the figure of God the Father. In the centre below we guess to see contours of the serpent, a representation that underlines the implication: Christ as a Redeemer of mankind from the original Sin. The light effect of the scenery is very impressive. The figures of angels, God the Father and the crucified body of Christ emit golden radience, they all seem to be created from translucent shadows and sparkling light spots made with relief brushstrokes of the predominant gold-brownish glimmering with translucent whites and perchment-silveryellows; here and there we also find hardly visible dark blues, reddish, pail olive-greenish colours. The draperies of the lower figure at the centre and of the right-side angel are made with reddish tones. The light itself playing an important compositional role, seems to be the main character of the scene, it carries a semantic meaning symbolizing the presence of the higher, supernatural power. There is no doubt about a close stylistic connection of the present work with the Maulbertsch œuvre. However, we must take into consideration that Maulbertsch's oil sketches have sometimes been confused with those of the master's circle and of his followers,

5 and first of all with the works of his student Josef Winterhalter (1743-1807), who remained associated with his teacher in many commissions, becoming one of his chief studio assitants. He did not only assimilate the artistic style of Maulbertsch, but imitated with great succès his master's manner both in his own inventions and more often, in different ricordos and reductions after Maulbertsch.

6 Based on the passionate and powerful expression of the figures and on the main features of the style - „brio" of quivering, rich brushstrokes - it is reasonable to regard the present oil sketch as the work of Maulbertsch. The works of Winterhalter, while implying a similar handling, lack the plasticity of Maulbertsch's figures; the brushstrokes of Maulbertsch's followers were more sluggish and flat. Particulary expressive is God the Father (painted with great virtuosity by several touches), who is linked both iconographically and in the manner of execution to the corresponding figure in Maulbertsch's sketch „The Baptism of Christ" (1767), also in Lviv, mentioned above.