During the Reformation period both stone and wood carved epitaphs were highly popular in Lower Silesia. There was, however, an unspoken rule in accordance with which works in stone were commissioned by gentry, and in wood by bourgeoisie. As a result, monuments of sepulchral art located in the countryside were made of a more expensive material, which accounted for their greater representational character. While in churches situated in cities, such as the Saint Mary Magdalene’s Church in Wrocław, or the parish church in Lubin, wooden epitaphs played a more significant part in the interior décor. There were, of course, exceptions to this rule, e.g. the wooden Tomb Monument of the Rechenberg family in Kliczków, near Bolesławiec, or stone epitaphs of the bourgeoisie families from the Cathedral in Legnica. Nonetheless, the Silesian bourgeoisie, and in particular the one in Wrocław, preferred wooden epitaphs decorated with high class paintings.
In addition, the above-described regularity resulted from the availability of artists and accumulation of the big names of the Silesian painting in Wrocław. The durability of tomb monuments and epitaphs was also of great importance as they constituted one of the elements of building the local tradition and history.
Unfortunately, many of the Wrocław epitaphs have not survived until present times. During the siege of the city, which lasted from March till May 1945, the most important churches were destroyed, including the already mentioned Saint Mary Magdalene’s Church – before the war it was one of its kind museum of the sepulchral art. Some of the wooden epitaphs or just the paintings from them were transported to repositories in Kamieniec Ząbkowicki and Lubiąż already in 1942. When the war ended, the Polish museologists took care of the epitaphs and kept moving them between various repositories. Considered to be works of "the German art", the epitaphs were out of line with the exhibitions and filled the rooms of the Central Repository in Kozłówka for a dozen or so years, or were put up for sale.
Luckily, the painting The Vision of Ezekiel from the epitaph of Magdalena Mettel, did not suffer from such a misfortune. Shortly after the war, the painting found its way to the Collection of the Silesian Museum (today’s the National Museum in Wrocław) and is now part of the permanent exhibition. It was painted in 1565 as confirmed by its signature, which says: "15 TF 65". For many years, and in the pre-war period in particular, art historians debated over the monogram "TF". Nowadays, it is undisputedly associated with the Wrocław-based painter Tobias Fendt. This artist, who was born between 1520 and 1530 and died in early 1576, was most probably trained at the workshop of Lambert Lombard in Liège. Frans Floris also received education in this Dutch workshop at that time. Fendt arrived in Wrocław circa 1565 and soon received the title of a master craftsman. Four years later, the artist received citizen rights and in 1571 he became a senior craftsman in the painters’ guild. For over five years he was the most important painter in the city, and what is more, a highly prolific artist who used to sign his works, which is of great importance for scholars. We do not have extensive knowledge on many painters creating in those days due to the fact that a relatively small number of works bears any signature. At times, it is even impossible for scholars to place two or three works within one artist’s oeuvre.
As many as four paintings have been preserved from the oeuvre of Tobias Fendt: the already mentioned Wizja Ezechiela / The Vision of Ezekiel, Chrystus zapowiadający Sąd Ostateczny / Christ Announcing the Last Judgement from the epitaph of the Mohrenberg family (also in the National Museum in Wrocław), Wskrzeszenie Łazarza / The Raising of Lazarus from the parochial church in Trzebnica and Józef przedstawiający faraonowi Jakuba / Joseph Introducing Jacob to Pharaon from the epitaph of the Nauck family in Świdnica. Fendt is also the author of 129 copperplate engravings based on drawings brought by Seyfried Rybisch from Italy. The engravings were published by Fendt in 1574 at his own expense in a collection entitled Monumenta sepulcrorum.... A few years earlier he had also published a collection of graphic art "Genesis".
Thus, taking into consideration his nearly ten-year stay in Wrocław, Fendt was quite a prolific painter and engraver. His works, The Vision of Ezekiel in particular, are considered as the best examples of the Mannerist painting tradition in Silesia. They distinguish themselves by a natural composition with many dynamically depicted persons. They were modelled after graphic templates of such Dutch artists as: Heemskerck, Cornelis Cort, Phillip Galle and the already mentioned Frans Floris, whom Fendt might have known in person. The Wrocław painter was quite successful in art nude, or portraying the anatomy of the human body, slightly overdrawn but following the then fashionable painting style. Such elements present on Fendt’s paintings as diverse facial features and vivid gestures are not common for a substantial majority of Silesian painters of that time. The Dutch character of Fendt’s painting style is also visible in detailed landscapes with ruins and towns in the background. Such features are characteristic of the paining from the epitaph of the Mohrenberg family as well. Last but not least, Fendt won renown as a remarkable painter of architecture and master of the rules of perspective depicted on the paining from the epitaph of the Nauck family in Świdnica. Also in this case, the muscled bodies of presented figures are covered with distinct red and golden robes, similar to those of Ezekiel or God the Father in The Vision of Ezekiel.
Tobias Fendt introduced new means of artistic expression from the Netherlands to painting tradition in Silesia, just like Hans Fleiser, who came from Nijmegen but settled down in the 1550s in the capital of Lower Silesia, to the art of sculpture. It is even believed that it was Fleiser who brought the painter over to Wrocław. Later, they cooperated in creating the baptismal font in the Saint Mary Magdalene’s Church. Fendt’s art became a source of inspiration for many artists, not only the students of his workshop but also among sculptors. While working on an alabaster central relief in the epitaph of the Uthmann family in 1585, Friedrich Gross used The Vision of Ezekiel as his graphic model. Fendt’s publications were reprinted many times, still in the second half of the 17th century.
Finally, it is worth discussing the subject of The Vision of Ezekiel itself, which served as a pretext for depicting a large number of male and female nudes. This theme is rather uncommon for the Silesian sepulchral art of that time, for sure less common than the popular "Last Judgement”. In general, its symbolic meaning is similar, and yet more profound. The vision from the first lines of the 37th Chapter of the Book of Ezekiel announces the Last Judgment. The painting depicts the prophet standing with raised arms in a valley, to whom bones are approaching gradually taking on bodily forms. However, these bodies are not perfect – the forefront depicts a body of an old woman – but earthly ones belonging to the dead. The message of this scene, placed in a sepulchral work of art, is quite clear: the dead rest their hope in God and wait for Resurrection. Whereas with regard to this specific painting, the Resurrection is understood literally: as regaining the earthly appearance.
Tobias Fendt
Wizja Ezechiela / The Vision of Ezekiel
painting from the epitaph of Magdalena Mentel
1565, oil on beech board, 135x107 cm
The National Museum in Wrocław
Author: Jakub Jagiełło, November 2010