Lochner, Stephan

(c. 1400-1451)

   Stephan Lochner was a native of Meersburg, near Lake Constance. At an unknown date, he moved to Cologne, where in 1442 he was paid for ephemeral decorations meant to celebrate Emperor Frederick III's visit to the city. In 1447, and again in 1451, he was elected councilor of the painter's guild in Cologne. Soon after receiving this honor for the second time, he died of the plague.

   The Last Judgment Altarpiece (c. 1435-1440; central panel in Cologne, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum) Lochner painted for the local Church of St. Lawrence. It presents Christ in a mandarla, with the Virgin and St. John kneeling at his feet pleading for the souls of those being judged. Below, the blessed line up to enter the gates of heaven, while the damned are tormented by demons as they are led into hell. One of the side panels (Frankfurt, Kunstinstitut) shows the Martyrdom of St. Bartholomew, the saint who was flayed alive. Here, the scene is set against a gold background that does little to soften the horror of the event. One of the executioners grabs his knife with his teeth as he forcefully pulls the skin off the saint's arm.

   The Last Judgment Altarpiece is closely connected to medieval conventions that Lochner eventually shed in favor of rounder, more delicate, sweeter figure types. Examples include the Madonna in the Rose Bower (c. 1438-1440; Cologne Wallraf-Richartz-Museum) and

   Presentation in the Temple (1447; Darmstadt, Hessisches Landesmuseum). The first shows the Virgin and Child surrounded by musical angels, the rose bower behind symbolizing Mary's charity and the gold background the divine nature of the scene. The solidity and linear qualities of his previous works have now been replaced by softened contours. Flemish influence is seen in the angularity of Lochner's drapery folds, previously lacking in his works. The second painting, which also features sweet types, Lochner signed in the letter held by one of the figures who is dressed like a knight of the Teutonic Order (a medieval military order). The scene is further softened by the appealing children in the foreground who hold candles, granting a greater sense of solemnity to the painting. Lochner's tender figures and vivid colorism place him among the most highly regarded German masters of his era.