Johann Koerbecke (c. 1415/20,

Coesfeld Coesfeld (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Koosfeld'') is the capital of the Coesfeld (district), district of Coesfeld in the Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. History Coesfeld received its city rights in 1197, but was first ...

Münster Münster (; ) is an independent city#Germany, independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a ...

- 13 June 1491, Münster) was a German

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...

painter of the

Westphalia Westphalia (; ; ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the region is almost identical with the h ...

n School. He is believed to have worked with the

Master of the Schöppingen Altarpiece The Master of the Schöppingen Altarpiece was a German artist active in the area around Münster between 1445 and 1470. It appears likely that he studied in the Netherlands, and was influenced by the work of Robert Campin and Rogier van der Wey ...

and the . He was the first painter from Westphalia who can be named.

Life and work

His presence is attested to for the first time in 1443,Biography of Johann Koerbecke
@ the

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art is an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was privately established in ...

when he and his wife, Elsa, took possession of his father's house in Münster. It is likely that he studied with his father, Heinrich, and another local artist, in the 1430s. Nothing is known of Heinrich's work, although his acquisition of the house and workshop is attested to in 1435. Johann is mentioned several times, between 1453 and 1484, in documents from Münster, including invoices for altarpieces and as a witness to marriages and other legal contracts. In 1460, he appears on the list of members of the "Confrérie de Notre-Dame de l'église Saint-Gilles". Altogether, the documents establish that he was a well-situated member of the bourgeoisie. After his death in 1491, an obituary states that he was from Coesfeld, but this may refer to his family, rather than him specifically. Elsa retained possession of the house and workshop until 1495. He had two sons; Heinrich, who joined the

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

, and Hermann, who was also a painter. He was the first painter in that area to use a style introduced in the Netherlands by

Robert Campin Robert Campin (Valenciennes (France) c. 1375 - Tournai (Belgium) 26 April 1444) now usually identified with the Master of Flémalle (earlier the Master of the Merode Triptych, before the discovery of three other similar panels), was a master pai ...

; later brought to fruition by

Jan van Eyck Jan van Eyck ( ; ; – 9 July 1441) was a Flemish people, Flemish painter active in Bruges who was one of the early innovators of what became known as Early Netherlandish painting, and one of the most significant representatives of Early Nort ...

and

Dirk Bouts Dieric Bouts (born – 6 May 1475) was an Early Netherlandish painter. Bouts may have studied under Rogier van der Weyden, and his work was influenced by van der Weyden and Jan van Eyck. He worked in Leuven from 1457 (or possibly earlier) until ...

. This style involves the use of bright colors, attention to detail, heads with individual characteristics and an intuitive approach to perspective. His principal work involves sixteen panels on the flaps of the , from 1457, originally in the church at Marienfeld Abbey in the town of

Harsewinkel Harsewinkel () is a town in Gütersloh District in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It lies on the river Ems, some 15 km north-west of Gütersloh. It is the home and domicile of Europe's leading combine harvester manufacturer ...

. The panels were scattered after the abbey and the monastery were dissolved in 1803. Six are on display at the

Westphalian State Museum of Art and Cultural History The Westphalian State Museum of Art and Cultural History (''LWL-Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte'') is an arts and cultural museum in Münster, Germany. Collections and Specializations The museum's collection includes: * Late Gothic ...

. The others are in museums from Moscow to Chicago, including one at the

in Washington, DC. Copies, arranged as they would have appeared originally, are in the current .. Few of his works created after 1470 can be attributed with any degree of certainty. An altarpiece panel at the

Cleveland Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Located in the Wade Park District of University Circle, the museum is internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian art, Asian and Art of anc ...

, originally thought to be his, has been tentatively reattributed to an unnamed Master.''Master of the Schlägl Altarpiece''
/ref>

The Marienfeld Altar

Notes/Sources

External links

Johann Koerbecke
from the Larousse ''Dictionnaire de la peinture''. *
online
über De Gruyter online – Subskriptionszugriff) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Koerbecke, Johann 15th-century births 1491 deaths German male painters 15th-century German painters Gothic art Religious art Artists from Münster Painters from North Rhine-Westphalia Year of birth uncertain