The denomination Upper Rhenish Master refers to an artist active ca. 1410–20 possibly in

Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...

. The most famous painting of the artist is ''

Paradiesgärtlein The ''Paradiesgärtlein'' (''Garden of Paradise'') is a panel painting created around 1410 by an unknown painter referred to as Upper Rhenish Master. It belongs to the ''Mary in the rose bower'' type. The ''Paradiesgärtlein'' is one of the earli ...

'' (''Little Garden of Paradise''), a mixed-technique painting on oakwood, 26.3 x 33.4 cm, now in the

Städel Museum The Städel, officially the ''Städelsches Kunstinstitut und Städtische Galerie'', is an art museum in Frankfurt, with one of the most important collections in Germany. The museum is located at the Museumsufer on the Sachsenhausen (Frankfurt ...

(on permanent loan from the

Historical museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private collections that are used by researchers ...

in Frankfurt since 1922).Marc Chagall. Angeli e Demoni – I Dizionari dell’Arte. 2003 Mondadori Electa S.p.A., Milano The painting is the Städel's most famous example of the old German school. In this famous painting, the artist depicts a secluded scene, with

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

the Mother and Jesus the Child in a secluded corner of a castle garden, a peaceful place protected by a wall from the violent outer world. The painter applies the concept of "

hortus conclusus ''Hortus conclusus'' is a Latin term, meaning literally "enclosed garden". Both words in ''hortus conclusus'' refer linguistically to enclosure. It describes a type of garden that was enclosed as a practical concern, a major theme in the history ...

," described by

Albertus Magnus Albertus Magnus ( 1200 – 15 November 1280), also known as Saint Albert the Great, Albert of Swabia, Albert von Bollstadt, or Albert of Cologne, was a German Dominican friar, philosopher, scientist, and bishop, considered one of the great ...

of Cologne, philosopher and father of the church.

"hortus conclusus" (Lat. 'enclosed garden') a representation of the Virgin and Child in a fenced garden, sometimes accompanied by a group of female saints. The garden is a symbolic allusion to a phrase in the Song of Songs (4:12): 'A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse'.

Working some two hundred years after Albertus, the Upper Rhenish Master realizes a painting that is designed for the pleasure of spectators, but is also intended to be the vector of spiritual benefits. According to the 13th-century theologian, a pleasurable and sacred garden should contain "pleasant flowers .. trees .. animal .. a spring set in stone .. for its purity .. source of spiritual delectation" for a pious spectator.

Summa theologiae The ''Summa Theologiae'' or ''Summa Theologica'' (), often referred to simply as the ''Summa'', is the best-known work of Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), a scholastic theologian and Doctor of the Church. It is a compendium of all of the main the ...

Every detail of the Little Garden of Paradise stands for something more than itself. Contemporary people were likely to have been acquainted with the symbols. If, in the Middle Ages few could read, any visual form of communication was an effective instrument in order to spread the faith. The unknown artist has mastered the use of symbols and orchestrates the stage as a playground not only appropriate for holy persons but for the new and upcoming vision of nature that will be a cornerstone in the 15th century. Among the other works of this anonymous master, two square panels of much larger size than the Frankfurt painting can be seen today in the

Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame The Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame (or Frauenhausmuseum in German) is the city of Strasbourg's museum for Upper Rhenish fine arts and decorative arts, dating from the early Middle Ages until 1681. The museum is famous for its collection of origi ...

: '' The Nativity of the Virgin and The Doubt of Saint Joseph''.

References

Bibliography

Nicole Chambon, ''Les fleurs et les oiseaux du Jardin du Paradis de Francfort (1410-1420)'', Doctoral thesis under the supervision of Aline le Berre and François Bœspflug, German Studies, University of Limoges, 2011

External links

Städel
Anonymous artists 15th-century German painters Year of birth unknown {{Europe-artist-stub