Anton Pilgram (also Anton Pilchramb) (around 1460,

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

(?) – 1516,

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

) was a late medieval Moravian and subsequently Austrian architect and sculptor active in the area of today's

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

(

Moravia Moravia ( ; ) is a historical region in the eastern Czech Republic, roughly encompassing its territory within the Danube River's drainage basin. It is one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The medieval and early ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and western (Germany)

Swabia Swabia ; , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of Swabia, one of ...

. Pilgram is known as the sculptor of the portal of Old City Hall and St. James church in

and craftsman of the

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

in St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna. He spent a major part of his life in Brno,

Biography

He was born in Brno and later on probably trained stonemason in

, and following that, in 1481, he was invited to

Heilbronn Heilbronn () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn (district), Heilbronn District. From the late Middle Ages on, it developed into an important trading centre. At the begi ...

. His earliest work was a

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

at the St Kilian Church in Heilbronn. However, research by Kaliopi Chamonikola, 2004, disputes the attribution of the design of the chancel to Pilgram. He created his early architectural works mainly in

, Germany. He participated in the building of the St. George Church in Schwieberdingen and St Lawrence Chapel in

Rottweil Rottweil (; Alemannic: ''Rautweil'') is a town in southwest Germany in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Rottweil was a free imperial city for nearly 600 years. Located between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alps, Rottweil has over 25,000 ...

. During his stay in Swabia, he became familiar with the works of Italian and German

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

artists. Černá (2005), p. 70 He came back to

around 1495, and he worked there as a sculptor and

stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping and arranging stones, often together with mortar and even the ancient lime mortar ...

at the St Jacob Church and Judentor (Jews' Gate, 1508). Among his most important works are wooden sculptures of Saint Peter Martyr and a Dominican

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

, created around 1511, and particularly the portal of the Old City Hall (1512). In 1512 Pilgram became a cathedral builder of the St Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna. There he concentrated mainly on smaller architectonic forms, such as the cathedral pulpit (built from 1514 to 1515) and various relief sculptures. Pilgram probably died in Vienna around 1516.

Style

Anton Pilgram is considered to be one of the most talented descendants of Nikolaus Gerhaert of Leiden in Middle Europe. His figural sculptures express a high level of individuality, and are not entirely within medieval artistic expression. Czech art historian Albert Kutal indicated also possible influence of north

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...

sculpture and paintings by

Andrea Mantegna Andrea Mantegna (, ; ; September 13, 1506) was an Italian Renaissance painter, a student of Ancient Rome, Roman archeology, and son-in-law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with Perspective (graphical), pe ...

. According to preserved historical documents, Pilgram was a self-confident and contentious artist, who often asserted his artistic individuality against the will of guilds and other institutions.

Notes

References

External links

Současné teoretické přístupy k dílu Antona Pilgrama s důrazem na jeho tvorbu ve Vídni, na Moravě a na Slovensku – Thesis by Lucie Valdhansová (abstract)
* * ttp://www.encyklopedie.brna.cz/home-mmb/?acc=profil_osobnosti&load=4853 Encyclopedia of the City of Brno *
Anton Pilgram (úvahy k symbolice uměleckého díla)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pilgram, Anton Gothic architects 1460 births 1516 deaths Gothic sculptors Catholic sculptors