Details
Main content
-
Details of object number: p000001
Title:Christ between St Peter and St Stephen
Object name:Reliefbild
Collection:Diözesanmuseum Brixen
Created by:Unknown (artist)
Production date:(uncertain) 0901 — 1170
Production period:Hochmittelalter
Description:Sandstone block with three figures in low relief: Christ in the centre, St Peter with the key on the left, St Stephen with a stone on the right.
Hist. crit. notes:The stone relief depicting “Christ between St Peter and St Stephen” is one of the oldest objects in the Brixen/Bressanone Diocesan Museum. It is of both architectural and historical significance, as it is attributed to the first cathedral built in the city (10th century). The relief, made of sandstone, shows Christ in the centre, St Peter with a key on the left and St Stephen with a stone on the right. Before the bishop’s see was transferred from Säben/Sabiona monastery to Brixen, St Peter and St Stephen were the patron saints of the cathedral. It is believed that the relief adorned the building as a tympanum and was therefore part of the medieval episcopal church. Its dimensions (48 cm high, 68 cm wide) suggest that it originally formed part of the arch of a small portal, especially as its lower edge has no frame.
Its artistic similarities led Ludwig Tavernier to date the relief to the middle of the 12th century rather than the 10th century, based upon comparisons with reliefs from Castle Tyrol and the parish church of Untermais/Maia Bassa: the dating was also confirmed by Josef Resch in his reports from 1745. When, around 1750, the new Baroque building was erected, the relief was initially placed on the wall of a townhouse located at 6, Hartwiggasse/Via Hartwig. On 2 July 1908 the relief was handed over to the Diocesan Museum on loan from the cathedral chapter; since its relocation to the Brixen Hofburg (bishop’s palace) in the 1970s, it has formed a central part of the permanent exhibition there.
Its artistic similarities led Ludwig Tavernier to date the relief to the middle of the 12th century rather than the 10th century, based upon comparisons with reliefs from Castle Tyrol and the parish church of Untermais/Maia Bassa: the dating was also confirmed by Josef Resch in his reports from 1745. When, around 1750, the new Baroque building was erected, the relief was initially placed on the wall of a townhouse located at 6, Hartwiggasse/Via Hartwig. On 2 July 1908 the relief was handed over to the Diocesan Museum on loan from the cathedral chapter; since its relocation to the Brixen Hofburg (bishop’s palace) in the 1970s, it has formed a central part of the permanent exhibition there.
Material:stone
Technique:hewed
Dimensions:
- height: 40 cm
width: 69 cm
depth: 22 cm
Institution:Diocesan Museum