engleski

Caspar Franz Sambach’s painting on the high altar of the Cathedral of St Theresa of Avila in Požega

The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa, on the high altar of the Cathedral of St Theresa of Avila in Požega, was created between 1761 and 1763. However, for more than a century, the late painting was hidden under an overpainting, applied in 1899 when an extensive renovation of the church took place. The signature of the painter has not been preserved, nor is his name mentioned in archival sources, so the issue of authorship could only be resolved after this fine painting was thoroughly restored. The uncovered original also solved the riddle of a partly incorrect piece of information found earlier in the Imperial and Royal Privileged News Releases printed in Vienna in 1771. This article follows the extensive research by the author, the outcome of which is a reliable attribution of the painting to the Viennese academy painter of Silesian origin, Caspar Franz Sambach. It supports the attribution by relevant comparative examples. The altarpiece was a donation of Empress and Queen Maria Theresa for the high altar erected at the expense of Franjo Thauszy, bishop of the Zagreb diocese and founder of its Slavonian chapter. Besides the authorship and the iconography of the painting, the article addresses the historical context of a specific motif on the high altar – the baldachin crown of St Stephen. The theme of Sambach’s painting is interpreted based on the writings of St Theresa of Avila, primarily her autobiography.

Caspar Franz Sambach ; The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa ; Požega ; Cathedral of St Theresa of Avila ; high altar ; Vienna ; Empress and Queen Maria Theresa ; Bishop of Zagreb Franjo Thauszy ; Székesfehérvár ; Sloup, Nagykanizsa ; Brno

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