Crucifix on the Tree of Life from dominican church of St. Nicolas in Toruń – new look

Abstract

The following article was written basing on the MA thesis, concerning one of the best known Gothic masterpieces in Poland. The sculpture appears in many synthesis works, textbooks and detailed scientific elaborations and the crucifix is often referred to. There have already been many attempts to contribute to present state of research, various opinions concerning the dating and the object’s stylistic genesis have appeared, nevertheless it is also possible to look at this exceptional masterpiece with an unprejudiced fresh look.

The article includes a list of quotations from the prophets’ bands and their sources from ‘Wulgata’ (the Vulgate), together with the translation made by priest Jakub Wujek. The sources of the Tree of Life, reaching as far back as the texts of St. Bonaventure and earlier artistic realizations of Bonaventurian iconography were discussed. To illustrate to the readers all the riches of cumulated artistic motifs and subtle character of forms of this mystical crucifix, the selection of German Dominican mysticism representatives’ quotations were presented in reference to the Crucified image categories, its reception, contemplation, compassio by the crowd gathered underneath, consisting of its viewers and the masterpiece ordering persons, combination of beauty, suffering and nature impressions, as well as auxiliary images’ role in 14th c Passion spirituality.

Subjecting two modern inventories to analysis, basing on the studies of mediaeval Indulgence documents, but also on the designs of St. Nicolas church from about half of 18th c, the article author tried to establish anew the references to the Tree of Life, their impact on masterpiece’s dating and locating in Dominican Convent.

On the grounds of the literature obtained so far, as well as the crucifixes comparison, the type was defined as late, even more softened example of Strasburg – Westphalian model. This debate can be a starting point for the attempt to outline stylistic genesis by turning attention to a number of analogies to the crucifix from Lassnitz, originating presumably from The Benedictine collegiate church in Sankt Lambrecht in Styria. The other example of Styrian Mystical Crucifixions series – the crucifix from Friesach, indicates the analogies in painting question concerning meander-like stylistics of drooping folds of the perizonium. The work from Lassnitz is connected with Toruń one by many artistic elements, the way of spatial sculpture arrangement, particularly in legs, chest and perizonium composition. We can find in it stylistic features, which were the determinants of the style of Toruń masterpiece for Karl Heinz Clasen in 1939.

A part of the artistic motifs under discussion in other works of art subjected to analysis indicates their general belongingness to a defined style of that period, mainly as far as perizonium motifs are concerned. However, the analogies, creating a certain evolutionary sequence reaching with its roots Giotto’s art and Czech paintings, indicate painting inspirations in the perizonium folds’ stylistics of Toruń work. Present dating of the sculpture, due to early analogies, can be pushed back, till the times after 1360.