Mikó Árpád szerk.: "Magnificat anima mea Dominum" M S Mester vizitáció-képe és egykori selmecbányai főoltára (A Magyar Nemzeti Galéria kiadványai 1997/1)

TANULMÁNYOK / ESSAYS - POSZLER GYÖRGYI: Selmecbánya és a Mária-templom főoltára

As the Thurzó-Fugger partnership was not extended to running the mines of Selmecbánya, the attempt to concentrate all the mining enterprizes in one hand failed. However, János Thurzó did his best to extend his control over the mining businesses of Selmecbánya, also, by having his sway over the town officials. In 1496, in his capacity as Chief Count of the Mines of Körmöc, he appointed his confidential man, János Lang, to the post of Mine Master (Bergmeister). Boldizsár Steck, who was the Notary between 1478 and 1522 and, as such, was in close contact with King Matthias Corvinus, King Wladislaus II (Jagelló), his son Louis II, as well as with Queen Beatrice and Queen Anne, was one of the wealthiest burghers of Selmecbánya. It was precisely on recommendation from the Chief Count of the Chancellery of Körmöc, János Thurzó, that Queen Anne appointed him in her decree dated May, 1504 to the financially very rewarding post of town probater. In the second half of the fifteenth century and at the beginning of the 16th century, Selmecbánya, too, was the scene of major construction work, which the burghers supported with generous donations. That was the time when the St. Catherine Chapel in the town's main square was enlarged to become the so-called lower parish church. It seems likely that by the year 1500, the time when the church was consecrated, the high altar had been completed; this was donated by Johannes Galer (after 1475 named in the sources as a preacher and parish priest) and Andreas Hillebrand, both being respectable burghers of Selmecbánya. The chapel of the town hospital, which was dedicated to St. Elizabeth, was built in the second half of the fifteenth century. In addition, the sources confirm the donation of generous sums for the construction of the chapel of the old castle, dedicated to the archangel St. Michael. The building of Church of the Virgin Mary in the old castle (the re-building of the old parish church, really) was the largest construction work in Selmecbánya in the second half of the fifteenth century. The cost of this construction, too, was partly paid from donations by the town folks. There has only been one, partly published document, which can be linked to Master M S's high altar of the church, erected in 1506: the permission to hold a parish feast was signed in 1506. The year given in the panel of the altarpiece which depicts Christ's Resurrection, and was issued to the persons of „Leonhardus Heynitzky" and „Dorothea filia Andreae Duschlin", named as founders. As the names of the said persons cannot be found in the town documents, it seems likely that they were not among the burghers of Selmecbánya. Therefore, to identify the donors and commissioners of Master M S's altarpiece, we should take our search outside the circle of the local burghers. One of the possible clues might lead us to Cracow, to Veit Stoß's workshop working on the altarpiece of the Church of the Virgin Mary. In addition to the stylistic evidences linking Master M S's paintings to the works coming out of Veit Stoß's workshop, also important are the spiritual connections between them. Therefore, in comparing the two altarpieces, we might be able to trace, beside the connections between the masters and the workshops, also the possible connections between the programmes of the altarpieces, the respective commissioners. Exploring this route, Miklós Mojzer discussed the activities of Johannes Galer, who after 1475 acted as German preacher at the Our Lady's Church of Cracow, personally taking part in the efforts to add Veit Stoß's altarpiece to the church, a project launched in 1477. Collecting donations during the sermons, he provided continuous support for the project for several years. One of the main patrons of the preacher was János Thurzó, who after 1477 acted as the magistrate of Cracow. Being one of the commissioners (Bauherr) of the Altar of the Virgin, he was presumably among the main supervisors of the enterprize aimed at installing the altarpiece. However, the person of János Thurzó might help us establish the links not only with the commissioners and constructors of Veit Stoß's altarpiece in Cracow, but also in a much broader context, due to the extensive industrial and commercial interests of Thurzó's enterprize and its business connections with the Fuggers. The Thurzó enterprize had direct links to Nuremberg and Venice, not only making it easier to set up connections between artists and workshops, but also resulting in direct and personal communication with the wealthy burghers of these towns. The activities of the Thurzó-Fugger partnership had another important area worth mentioning, and (in view of the offices fulfilled by the various family members) the personal relations of the Thurzó family had another important aspect worth studying: the family's links with the Royal Palace in Buda. János Thurzó's cousin, Zsigmond Thurzó (who became the Bishop of Várad in 1504), for example, played a crucial role there: until the death of Queen Anne in 1506, he was the chief overseer of Hungary's dynastic connections. In 1496 János Thurzó Senior was appointed to act as Chief Chancellery Count of Körmöcbánya, which was the highest royal office in the jurisdiction of the mining towns of Lower Hungary, all belonging to the Queen's estates. Therefore, his office put him in direct contact with the Royal Palace, and also with the queens. Queen Anne appointed him to be her Chancellor, and always followed his advises in the matters of the mining industry. It was on his direct recommendations that, in 1504, she appointed Boldizsár Steck to be the probate of Selmec. Therefore, the study of both the Thurzó family's personal contacts and the royal offices they filled at the time directly point to the town officials of Selmecbánya, the wealthy Ringbürgers.