German artist Adam Elsheimer blends Venetian color palette and his natural storytelling skills in this depiction of the story of Elizabeth of Hungary
Adam Elsheimer (1578-1610) was a German artist of considerable and specific skills: namely tiny and highly-detailed oil paintings on metal surfaces.
During his travels and art training in Venice, Elsheimer became acquainted with the work of the Venetian painters, especially Tintoretto. As he developed his style, he drew from both the German traditions and the unique color palette of the Venetian masters, an unusual mixture which had a lasting effect on his work.
Throughout his career, Elsheimer was interested in the depiction of light and the dramatic contrasts possible through controlling its effects in his paintings. He became famous for both his mood-filled moonlit landscapes and his enigmatic nocturnal interiors seemingly illuminated by the glow of a single candle.
He was a meticulous artist who spent long hours creating his effects in tiny detailed paintings. In addition, he was an accomplished storyteller who captured scenes of Christian miracles, martyrdom, and dramatic events such as the Great Flood with the same effectiveness as he did a small still life.
The Painting
Elsheimer's painting “Saint Elizabeth Tending the Sick” (1597) is archetypal of his work. The picture is very small – just 10 by 7 inches [200mm x 250mm] – done in oil on copper. Its narrative quality is evident in its depiction of the story of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary.
Elizabeth was born in 1207 in Hungary as the daughter of King Andrew II. According to medieval chronicles, Elizabeth was very religious even as a young girl. She lost her mother at the tender age of six; it is believed this tragic loss only strengthened her religious fervor. She loved when people told her stories from the Bible and she learned prayers by heart. Living in the castle in Thuringia belonging to the man to whom she was promised in marriage, she started giving money and food to beggars.
Hospital for Lepers
Eventually the man to whom she was promised, Ludwig, and Elizabeth got married in 1221 when he was 20 and she was 13. From all accounts, their marriage was happy and they had three children. Elizabeth’s charity expanded from giving money, food, and clothes to the poor to visiting the sick in their houses however filthy and tending them, even those with leprosy, without fear for herself. She even established a hospital for lepers, the first such hospital in Europe. Ludwig protected her in all her charitable acts, even in the face of disapproval from his family and his court.
In September 1228 Ludwig died from fever contracted during the Crusades.
Ludwig’s brother, Conrad, gained considerable power over Elizabeth, and he acted as her religious advisor and confessor. However, Conrad was extremely harsh toward Elizabeth, holding her to standards of devotional behavior which were almost impossible to meet. Among the punishments he is alleged to have ordered were physical beatings and separation from her three children. In 1231, possibly because of such treatment, Elizabeth died.
The Roman Catholic Church canonized Elizabeth in 1235, soon after she died at the age of 24.
Today
Currently the painting can be viewed where it resides in the Wellcome Institute Collection for the History of Medicine in London, England.
Sources:
- Hagen, Rose-Marie & Rainer. What Great Paintings Say: Old Masters in Detail. Cologne: Benedikt Tasche, 2000.
- Grove Dictionary of Art. Oxford University Press, 2007.
