Master Paul of Levoča (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

: ''Paul von Leutschau'', ; ) was a medieval carver and

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

of the 15th and 16th century, active mostly in then Carpathian-German town of

Levoča Levoča (; ; ) is the principal town of Levoča District in the Prešov Region of eastern Slovakia, with a population of 14,256. The town has a historic center with a well-preserved town wall, a Gothic architecture, Gothic church with the talle ...

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

(, ).

History

Most documents about him seem to have perished in the Levoča fire of 1550. Thus neither his surname, nor dates or places of birth and death, are known. It is assumed that he was born between 1470 and 1480. He must have died between 1537 (when he is still mentioned on record) and 1542 (when his widow is mentioned). His origin is unknown. Theories of his origin include being a native of Levoča, theories of

origin link him to

Passau Passau (; ) is a city in Lower Bavaria, Germany. It is also known as the ("City of Three Rivers"), as the river Danube is joined by the Inn (river), Inn from the south and the Ilz from the north. Passau's population is about 50,000, of whom ...

Wittenberg Wittenberg, officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg, is the fourth-largest town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, in the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. It is situated on the River Elbe, north of Leipzig and south-west of the reunified German ...

and

Augsburg Augsburg ( , ; ; ) is a city in the Bavaria, Bavarian part of Swabia, Germany, around west of the Bavarian capital Munich. It is a College town, university town and the regional seat of the Swabia (administrative region), Swabia with a well ...

. He was also linked with origins from northern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Tyrol Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...

. He probably started working in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, judged by the connections of this city with Levoča at that time and, based on the artistic similarities, he may have been a student of

Veit Stoss Veit Stoss (, also spelled Stoß and Stuoss; ; ; before 1450about 20 September 1533) was a leading German language, German sculptor, mostly working with wood, whose career covered the transition between the late Gothic art, Gothic and the North ...

. He worked in

Sabinov Sabinov (, , ) is a small town located in the Prešov Region (north-eastern Slovakia), approximately 20 km from Prešov and 55 km from Košice. The population of Sabinov is 12,700. Etymology The name apparently comes from some shortened ...

and

Banská Bystrica Banská Bystrica (, also known by other #Etymology, alternative names) is a city in central Slovakia, located on the Hron River in a long and wide valley encircled by the mountain chains of the Low Tatras, the Greater Fatra, Veľká Fatra, and t ...

before settling in

in 1500, marrying a daughter of an influential citizen. In 1506 he established a carving workshop. A list of some of his works includes an Altar of St. Barbara in Banská Bystrica dated to 1509, an Altar of

St. George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

in Spišská Sobota of 1516, and his most famous work, completed in 1517, an altar in the Basilica of St. James in Levoča. This late Gothic altar is the tallest in Europe, measured at 18.62 meters. It is carved in wood and decorated with gold. The

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

from this altar was depicted in the former issue of 100 SKK banknotes (before Slovakia's adoption of the Euro in 2009). In 1527 he became a member of the Levoča town council, but he gained most of his fame and recognition after his death. He began to be recognised by

art historian Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Traditionally, the ...

s in 1870s in debates concerning the Levoča altar.

References

* Hleb, E.: Levoča in history. Prešov 1995. * CHALUPECKÝ, I.: St. James' Church. Martin 1991. * CHALUPECKÝ, I.: Contribution to the biography of Master Paul. In: Writings - homeland Proceedings I. Ves, 1967, pp. 181–187 * Kluber, Š.: Master Paul in Szepes towns. In: Levoča - provincial seat of Szepes (1271-1971). Levoča 1971 pp. 23–25 * Master Paul of Levoča - life, work time. Proceedings of seminar. Levoča 1991.

External links

Spectacular Slovakia

Panorama.sk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paul of Levoca, Master Gothic sculptors 15th-century Hungarian sculptors 16th-century Hungarian sculptors People from Levoča 15th-century Slovak sculptors 16th-century Slovak sculptors