Saint Eleanor | Narodna galerija

This painting, which is signed and dated at the lower right: Rottmayr de Rosenbrun Fecit 1716, shows Saint Eleanor, the English queen (1222–1291), who was not, however, canonized. This is the only remaining fragment of a big altarpiece of The Virgin Mary the Intercessor which Rottmayr was commissioned to paint by the Austrian Empress Leonore, but which was destroyed by fire on 22 June 1857; this remnant happens to shows the empress’s patron saint. Beside the painting commissioned by the Empress Leonore (the widow of Leopold I), two more altarpieces were produced for the church of the Teutonic Order at that time: Saint George by Martino Altomonte, on a commission from the Empress Wilhelmina Amalia (the widow of Josef I), and Saint Elizabeth by the Flemish painter Anton Schoonjans, on a commission from the Empress Elizabeth Christina (the wife of Charles VI). These two paintings have survived (cf. Cevc 1960, p. 33, No. 73 and p. 43, No. 118). Rottmayr’s painting, of which the present canvas is a remnant, was originally a picture of the Virgin Mary and the Child. They were surrounded by angels and worshipped by a crowd of people from all strata of society. The first sketch for the composition might well be the colour drawing in a private Italian collection, which was published by Edward A. Maser (Disegni inediti di Johann Michael Rottmayr, Bergamo, 1971, p. 63, Fig. 60). There are also records of the fee which the artist received for the canvas, which the Empress Leonore paid on 30 April 1716.

Artist Johann Michael Rottmayr

Year of creation 1716

Technique oil, canvas

Dimensions 132 x 102,5 cm

Inventory number NG S 1099, National Gallery of Slovenia, Ljubljana

Restored: ca. 1857, Pavel Künl; 1960, ZSV, Ljubljana.
Provenance: Ljubljana, Križanke (Church of the Teutonic Order) 1716 to 1857; through the agency of Pavel Künl the painting was acquired for Eduard Strahl’s collection in Stara Loka, where it remained until his death in 1884, after which it was in the collection of his son Karl Strahl until the sale after Karl’s death (1929); purchased by the Narodna galerija in 1930, old Inv. No. 113.
Exhibitions: 1930, Ljubljana, no catalogue; 1960, Ljubljana, No. 71; 1983, Ljubljana, No. 57.
Lit.: Tietze 1906, pp. 153–154; Steska 1927, p. 10; Vurnik 1928, p. 15; Polec 1930b, p. 123, Cat. No. 65; DS 1931, Plate 6; Stele 1938, p. 16; Cevc 1960, p. 32, Cat. No. 71; Aurenhammer 1965, pp. 36, 133; Maser 1971, p. 63; Maser 1980, pp. 48–49, 59, 71; Hubala 1981, pp. 62, 118, 191, 222, 247; Zeri [& Rozman] 1983, pp. 138–139, Cat. and Fig. No. 57; Cevc 1986, p. 126.