Jan Polack Johannes Po(l)lack (Hanns Polagk, Polegk), ( la, Ioannes Polonus) (between 1435 and 1450 – 1519) was a 15th-century painter.
From his nickname it is assumed that he might have been born and/or worked in Kraków. From the mid-1470s on, he lived and worked in Munich, having previously been in
Franconia
Franconia (german: Franken, ; Franconian dialect: ''Franggn'' ; bar, Frankn) is a region of Germany, characterised by its culture and Franconian dialect (German: ''Fränkisch'').
The three administrative regions of Lower, Middle and Upper F ...
. He may have taken part in the 1475 festival of the
Landshut Wedding
The Landshut Wedding (german: Landshuter Hochzeit) is one of the largest historical pageants in Europe. Countless visitors from all over the world have taken part, or have been spectators of the "Landshuter Hochzeit 1475", a pageant held in the ci ...
of
Jadwiga Jagiellon and
George of Bavaria. In 1480, he opened his own shop in Munich, where he remained until his death.
Starting in 1482, he is listed on the tax records of
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and H ...
, also as leader of the local painter guild. He visited with
Michael Wohlgemuth and his art was influenced by him and by that of
Veit Stoss
Veit Stoss (also: ''Veit Stoß'' and ''Stuoss''; pl, Wit Stwosz; before 1450about 20 September 1533) was a leading German sculptor, mostly working with wood, whose career covered the transition between the late Gothic and the Northern Renais ...
and
Hans Pleydenwurff as well as by collaboration with the woodcutter
Erasmus Grasser.
Documents mention many works of his which are now lost. His most important remaining work is the
Weihenstephan altarpiece (1483–1485), now at the
Alte Pinakothek
The Alte Pinakothek (, ''Old Pinakothek'') is an art museum located in the Kunstareal area in Munich, Germany. It is one of the oldest galleries in the world and houses a significant collection of Old Master paintings. The name Alte (Old) Pina ...
in Munich.
Gallery
Image:Jan Polack 001.jpg, ''Gnadenstuhl'' as God Father, Son and Holy Ghost, 1491
Image:Corbinian polack.jpg, ''The Miracle of the Bear'', 1489
Further reading
*
*Andrea Langer, "Jan Polack" in "
Neue Deutsche Biographie
''Neue Deutsche Biographie'' (''NDB''; literally ''New German Biography'') is a biographical reference work. It is the successor to the ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, Universal German Biography). The 26 volumes published thus far cover ...
", München 1999.
*Hanna Bösl, "Jan Polack", ''F-polnischer Geschichte'', 2004,
External links
15th-century German painters
German male painters
16th-century German painters
16th-century Polish painters
Polish male painters
Renaissance painters
German people of Polish descent
Artists from Kraków
1430s births
1519 deaths
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