The ArTworks of The NikolAikirche from The ceNTury of reformATioN

m u s e u m N i k o l A i k i r c h e

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Guide to the exhibitionThe ArTworks of The NikolAikirche from The ceNTury of reformATioN01.04. – 10.09.2017Museum Nikolaikirche

Stadtmuseum Berlin in association with the Protestant parish of St. Petri - St. Marien, Berlin

Dear visitors,

This booklet is designed as a guide to fourteen selected works of art. Despite their various subjects and media, they have much in common: all were produced in the first century of the Reformation and all, with just one exception, were originally displayed in the Nikolaikirche of Berlin. All are funerary monuments of extraordinary quality, created by artists of the electoral court.

The Nikolaikirche became Protestant Lutheran when the Reformation was introduced into Brandenburg in 1539. The reformist transformation of churches in Berlin was moderate and conciliatory. Medieval liturgical furnishings were largely reused and adapted to new needs. An important change to the Nikolaikirche, however, was the conversion of the side chapels into family burial sites. The side-altars erected there were gradually replaced by new tomb monuments.

These monuments illustrate the transition of the devotional image into the Lutheran doctrinal picture. They express the Protestant confession of their donors and served to represent them within their congregation and community. Officials at the electoral court used their burial sites, designed by court artists, to present themselves demonstratively as citizens of Berlin. As if in competition for prestige and splendor, Berlin’s wealthy elite also commissioned court artists to produce tomb monuments for their families. The Nikolaikirche became one of the city’s most important sites for public displays of piety and wealth.

Eight of the fourteen works introduced here are permanently displayed in the Museum Nikolaikirche. Of these, one originally came from St. Marien in Frankfurt an der Oder.* Six further paintings owned by the St. Marienkirche in Berlin have returned to the Nikolaikirche – their place of origin – for the period of 1 April–10 September 2017. All artworks will again be on view in these two locations after the conclusion of this exhibition.

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* Further works by Berlin court artists can be seen in the exhibition Bürger, Pfarrer, Professoren – St. Marien in Frankfurt (Oder) und die Reformation in Brandenburg, which runs from 6 May until 31 October 2017.

unknown painter iN The sTAble AT beThlehemEpitaph for Benedikt Krull and his family1526, panel paintingOriginally in the Nikolaikirche, now in the possession of the Protestant congregation of St. Petri - St. Marien Berlin 4

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This painting was commissioned by Benedikt Krull, who was mayor of Berlin and died in 1526, and was completed before the March of Brandenburg converted to Lutheranism.As a subject, the Adoration of the Christ Child, drawn from the Christmas narrative, already had a well-established tradition. In this painting, however, signs of a Protestant understanding of the image appear.

For example, the portrayal of Mary and Joseph without haloes was rather unusual in medieval images. Here, only the Infant in his stone manger is surrounded by bright light. The painting stands at a moment of transition from a devotional image of the ‘Adoration’ to a didactic image. Most importantly, it emphasizes the proclamation of the Gospel, the Christian message to the faithful. In the background, the angel announces the birth to the shepherds, who further share the message with everyone they meet after seeing the child. Mary also crosses her arms before her chest instead of traditionally folding her hands in prayer, which refers to and quite literally illustrates the biblical text: ‘But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.’

The foreground of the painting initially appears to follow tradition. The donors, to whose memory the tomb is dedicated, are portrayed on a much smaller scale, kneeling in prayer next to the biblical scene. In the Middle Ages, donor figures were the embodiment of an uninterrupted prayer for the salvation of the dead. They typically gaze into the distance, which is to say into themselves, or turn directly to a holy figure acting as an intercessor. Here, too, a Roman Catholic visual tradition is renewed through an element that resonates with Protestant thought. Words painted before the head of the family indicate that he prays for himself and his family: Bless and have mercy upon us. By reading these words, the viewer is engaged in prayer as well. The donors thus become instructional models for all of the faithful.

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Hans Schenck (called Scheuszlich) Allegory of DeATh AND reDempTioN Epitaph for Thomas Matthias and Margaretha Damstorf1548/49, sandstone, traces of polychromyNikolaikirche 6

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The earliest post-Reformation tomb in the Nikolaikirche was completed by the court sculptor Hans Schenck for Thomas Matthias, advisor to the elector. He and his wife appear in profile at the upper right and left. Matthias was one of the most important and trusted advisors to Joachim II. Shortly after beginning his service to the elector he commissioned this funerary monument and had it installed in the choir ambulatory while he was still living.

Through his choice of subject and design he makes a clear confession to Luther’s doctrine of redemption through God’s word and belief in Christ. The essential significance of ‘the Word’ means not only what is written or spoken but rather Christ himself. Biblical inscriptions, written predominantly in German, divide the tomb sculpture into several fields. The head of the sculpted corpse rests on the Bible. Its inscription expresses trust: ‘God’s word is my peace’.

The figure of death kneeling over the corpse is difficult to see today. The Trinity appears in the central axis above them. Above the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove appears Jesus, enthroned and in heaven. Above Jesus is God, who in turn points to Jesus with an inscription that reads: This is my dear son to whom you should listen. An angel brings Jesus the soul of a believer.

Inscriptions from Elijah and Paul appear next to Jesus and express confidence and joy in heavenly paradise. As prophets, they permeate the word, so to speak, as they turn towards heaven through openings in the inscription fields. The figures of the two men who were crucified beside Jesus also illustrate the hope for redemption through belief. The man on the right is sharply contorted and disfigured, while the thief on the left, who converted shortly before his death, gazes hopefully towards Christ.

The unusual composition of this image is a radical new invention that visualizes the Protestant doctrine of redemption.

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Hans Schenck (called Scheuszlich) DoNor porTrAiT wiTh Allegory of The DocTriNe of JusTificATioN Epitaph for Gregor Bagius1549/50, sandstone, traces of polychromyNikolaikirche 8

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The epitaph for Gregor Bagius is dominated by his life-size relief portrait. The self-confident representation of the advisor to the elector, dressed in opulent Renaissance clothing, is framed by a complex programme of allegorical images and inscriptions. This programme testifies to his confession of the Protestant faith and illustrates the central subject of Lutheran theology: the Doctrine of Justification by faith alone.

The core message of this doctrine is that man cannot be absolved of his sins through his own doing, but can only be redeemed through belief in Christ and God’s mercy. The visual representation of this complex theology is considered the only new visual invention of Protestant art. This theme of Law and Gospel appeared in various forms. Here the sculptor Hans Schenck translated Luther’s statements into images in a novel way.

Christ and Death, portrayed at the left and right of Gregor Bagius’s head, look each other in the eye. Death touches the court advisor on the shoulder with his sickle. Bagius, in turn, pulls the edge of his mantle toward the front so that his purse is visible. In his left hand, adorned with rings, he holds a snake grasping a text and an apple in its mouth. At the centre of his body, then, we find a visual distillation of what is repeated in allegory at the margins: the profane world and sin associated with death and punishment.

At the right appears a trio of terms: MORS, PECCATUM, LEX (death, sin, law). According to the Bible, it was Adam and Eve’s original sin that brought sin and death into the world. The naked figures at the lower right remind the viewer of their expulsion from Paradise. Leading a child encircled by a snake, literally impressed by the law (LEX), they symbolically assume the role of all of humanity.

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10Allegory of the Doctrine of JustificationEpitaph for Gregor Bagius, detail

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Written on the staff held by man and woman are the words IUSTUS FIDE SUA VIVIT (The just man lives through his faith). Luther’s entire argument is concentrated in this phrase. Belief makes it possible for humans to recognize what is just and to live according to the Commandments. This does not necessarily free him from mistakes. In the Gospel, Christ promises unconditional mercy from God. In this way redemption and eternal life are possible through faith alone.

The following terms appear on the left side of the tombstone: EVANGELIUM, GRATIA, VITA (gospel, mercy, life). Christ holds the vanquished Devil and Death, whose spear is broken, on a chain like prisoners. Traces of his once gilded triumphal banner can still be seen at the upper edge of the sculpture. The entire stone relief was originally painted, which would have made the inscriptions and fine details more easily recognizable.

The epitaph with its programmatic message originally stood in the nave, diagonally opposite the pulpit. At that time there was still an inscription regarding the life and work of the court advisor that emphasized the elector’s trust in him.

unknown painter crucifixioN wiTh moses AND AbrAhAmMiddle of the 16th century, panel paintingNikolaikirche 12

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In this painting the Crucifixion is flanked by two scenes from the Old Testament. At the left Moses points to the “Brazen Serpent” that he erected according to the God’s instructions. According to the narrative, this serpent is a sign for belief in life. At the right we find Abraham ready to sacrifice his son Isaac. An angel holds him back at the last moment and instead directs him to a ram to take as a sacrificial animal.

The New Testament establishes many connections between Christ and events from the Old Testament, as the New Testament fulfils that which was prophesied in the Old. Such typology (from the Greek typos – type, archetype) is found throughout Christian art. Protestant didactic images employ the juxtaposition of Old and New Testament especially frequently.

These two stories from the Old Testament reinforce the exaltation of Jesus through the Crucifixion and the salvation that this sacrifice promises. This didactic image also illustrates Luther’s primary message that people can only become righteous before God through their faith, not their actions. (On the Doctrine of Justification, see page 9 et seqq.)

The painting does not include biblical inscriptions. We can assume, however, that the viewer knew the following verses from the New Testament, which relate Moses, Abraham, and the Crucifixion to each other theologically:

‘And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.’ (John 3:14–15)

‘And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.’ (James 2:23)

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Michel Ribestein The gooD sAmAriTAN1552, panel paintingNikolaikirche 14

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The story of the Good Samaritan was popular in the Middle Ages, long before the Reformation. Its portrayal in this painting likewise follows tradition. It begins in the back-ground at the left with Jesus, who tells the parable to his audience. The robbed man lies wounded at the side of the road before them, while thieves make off with his clothing and purse. At the centre of the painting appears the man from Samaria, who has tied his horse to a tree trunk. He bends over the injured man and cares for his wounds. A priest and a temple servant, who passed by without helping, exit the scene at the right. Behind them the Samaritan appears again, bringing the wounded man to the inn on his horse.

Jesus tells this story in the Gospel of Luke to explain the commandment to love one’s neighbour. It is a response to two questions: ‘Who is my neighbour?’ and ‘What must I do to ensure that I receive eternal life?’ The narrative is particularly appropriate as a didactic image for a Protestant tomb. According to Luther’s interpretation of the Bible, eternal life cannot be earned or purchased, but good works and a life lived according to the Commandments nevertheless remain important. In the Lutheran sense, the story of the Good Samaritan illustrates that Christian faith becomes visible through service to one’s neighbour.

The painting shows signs of damage that seem to support its pictorial message, for the thieves and the learned men have suffered rough scratches. This damage was not the result of iconoclasm, as such attacks on images did not occur in Berlin. Rather, the damage intentionally inflicted on this painting apply only to those figures who either do evil or do not do good.

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Michel Ribestein The rAisiNg of lAzArusEpitaph for Jodocus Willich1553, panel paintingOriginally in St. Marien Frankfurt/Oder, today in the possession of the Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin 16

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In this painting, Jesus brings the deceased Lazarus back to life before the eyes of a large crowd in mourning. According to the Gospel of John, this final miracle of Jesus aroused lasting resentment and outrage that led to Jesus’s suffering, death, and resurrection. In this respect the narrative can be read as the harbinger of Jesus’s victory over death, and therefore as a promise of eternal life for all believers.

Jesus leans slightly toward Lazarus. His hands are dramatically staged in a speech gesture. Three fingers of his right hand are raised in blessing. His extended left hand makes clear that it is not his touch but the divine word that produces the miracle.

The inscription at the bottom cites verses from Luther’s trans-lation of the Bible. This text does not describe the moment of resurrection, but rather recites a conversation that prece-ded the miracle, when Lazarus’s sister, Martha, laments that Jesus did not arrive in time to heal her brother. She reaffirms her belief that he will be resurrected on Judgment Day. Jesus promises: ‘I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he life: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?’ Martha then acknowledges that Jesus is the Messiah and will conquer death.

In its unity of text and image, the epitaph painting displays a simple visual sermon that brings the faithful closer to the foundations of Christian redemption.

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Michel Ribestein chrisT TriumphANT over DeATh AND The DevilEpitaph for Peter Matthias and Anna Blankenfelde1553, panel painting with epitaph frameOriginally in the Nikolaikirche, today in the possession of the Protestant church of St. Petri - St. Marien Berlin 18

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This epitaph is among the remaining few that still have a complete frame. For many of the individual paintings on display here, their original form as part of a three-part structure can only be imagined.

The smaller panel below the large central painting includes portraits of the deceased and the heraldry of their important Berlin patrician families. An inscription lists their names and dates of birth and death. The couple died one after the other at the ages of just 26 and 20‘, on the feast day of Simon and Jude’ (28 October) 1552 and the following day. It may be assumed that their cause of death was illness.

After the plea in the inscription, ‘…may the Almighty God have grace and mercy on their souls,’ follow two short sentences written from the perspective of the dead. They conclude, ‘For the light of all Christendom we rest in this grave until my Lord returns’.

The central painting and the large dictum bear witness to the resurrection in the same spirit of hope. The monumental figure of Christ exits the open tomb, trampling a dragon and the skeleton of death. Two paths lead from the horizon toward the ‘Victor over Death and Devil’, where small scenes enact references to the Old Testament and illustrate the promise of redemption through Christ. At the left Adam and Eve leave Paradise. Sin and death in the form of a snake and a skeleton threaten them from the forbidden Tree of Know-ledge. At the right side of the painting David conquers the giant Goliath. The stone from his sling has just hit the forehead of the falling giant. The biblical quotation in the foreground likewise takes up the link between sin and death and juxtaposes them with redemption.

The epitaph thus offers the viewer a complex visual sermon on Luther’s Doctrine of Justification. This doctrine states that man cannot absolve his sins through his own deeds or his own power, but is saved only through faith and the grace of God. Protestant images of this time express this doctrine

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Expulsion from ParadiseEpitaph for Peter Matthias and Anna Blankenfelde, detail

David and GoliathEpitaph for Peter Matthias and Anna Blankenfelde, detail

primarily through the juxtaposition of the Old and New Testament. The Ten Commandments represent the Old Testament. Sin and death entered the world through the original sin of Adam and Eve. Opposite them is the New Testament, exemplified by the suffering of Jesus on the cross or, as is the case here, his resurrection, through which death is vanquished, sins forgiven, and eternal life promised. Less common and therefore notable is that salvation is reaffirmed by a further visual parallel – the victory of David over Goliath.

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Hans Schenck (called Scheuszlich) chrisT TriumphANT over DeATh AND The DevilEpitaph for Johann Zeidler, Paul Praetorius and his wife 1556, sandstone, traces of polychromyNikolaikirche 22

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Christ Triumphant over Death and the Devil is a subject well-suited for a tomb, for it reaffirms the hope of the deceased in their own resurrection. Court sculptor Hans Schenck added his own distinctive touch to this theme.

Posed victoriously with his hand on his hip, Jesus holds the skeleton of death, vanquished and bound, to the ground. Two other grotesque demons are also chained to either side of Christ, confined to the margins of the tombstone. Inscriptions repeat the message of the resurrection on cartouches within the relief as well as on the sides of the stone.

Christ’s posture initially appears to deviate from standard visual conventions. With a closer look, however, the viewer may notice his side wound on his exposed body, which is presented like evidence. The strong physical presence of this figure visually expresses the humanity of the son of God. For Luther, the people must first understand this in order to recognize God and his mercy in Christ.

The donors pray before the open grave, which appears in low relief in the background. Paul Praetorius, court advisor and tutor to the elector, had the monument built for himself and his wife, as well as for the memory of his predecessor Johann Zeidler. The epitaph was originally located on the pillar next to the pulpit.

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Michel Ribestein lAsT JuDgmeNTEpitaph for Hans Tempelhoff and his family1558, panel paintingOriginally in the Nikolaikirche, now in the possession of the Protestant church of St. Petri - St. Marien Berlin 24

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This painting offered the congregation both instruction and visual delight. The faithful became witnesses to an inferno. The dramatic scenery is divided into heaven, from which Christ the Judge emerges, and earth on Judgment Day. The dead rise from the earth, angels guide the blessed into heaven, and devils pull the damned towards the huge furnaces of hell. With obvious delight in gruesome detail, hell and demons occupy much of the pictorial space. However, the rosy glow of heaven radiates ease and trust in grace and salvation across the entire image.

The foreground makes the condition for this salvation clear. At the lower edge of the painting, two Bible verses explain heaven and hell. In between is the central scene with an inscription that reflects on the distinction between the wicked and the righteous. The Lutheran belief that man is justified by his faith alone is symbolized by the traveller who kneels and pleads before the archangel Michael. In his bag, which lies before him on the ground, he carries a Bible – a metaphor for a way of life in which the believer is accompanied by the word of God. Behind him, devils reach for a fallen traveller and other figures. Playing cards, dice, and instruments lying on the ground illustrate their vices.

This symbolic code for the Doctrine of Justification marks the painting as a testament to Lutheran confession. Another scene also explicitly criticizes and demonizes the Roman Catholic Church of the time. A line of the damned are led away, among them the pope, in front of hell’s palace. Before him a devil carries the communion chalice, which had been withheld from the people, and a sealed letter of indulgence. Both attributes play on key points of Luther’s Reformation: the sacrament of communion ‘in both forms’ and the indulgence trade of the Roman Catholic Church of his time. Such visual confrontations of the two confessions were otherwise rather unusual in moderate Berlin.

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Epitaph’s original locationDetail from the Kötteritz epitaph (see no. 14)

Pope in hellEpitaph for Hans Tempelhoff and his family, detail 26

Michel Ribestein composed the teeming scene down to the last brushstroke with great craftsmanship and attention to detail. The original location of the tomb for the mayor Hans Tempelhoff and his family is recorded in the Kötteritz epitaph, in which it can be clearly identified, along with its now lost frame. It hung on a pillar that marked the transition into the choir space. Whether the finer details of the painting could be seen at this height, however, is questionable.

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Michel Ribestein chrisT iN limbo Epitaph for Simon Mehlmann and his familyca. 1562, panel paintingOriginally in the Nikolaikirche, now in the possession of the Protestant church of St. Petri - St. Marien Berlin 28

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Two thematic representations of Christ are combined in this painting. Christ in Limbo proclaims victory over death. At the top left, Christ in the Winepress symbolizes the redemption promised in the sacrament of communion. Both subjects mutually reaffirm each other in the promise of eternal life through the grace, suffering, and death of Jesus.

The traditional idea that Jesus freed the first parents and the righteous from hell in the days between his death and resurrection was an important subject in the dispute surrounding the ‘two natures of Christ’. It serves as a sign that Jesus as a true man really died, while he could only defeat death and be resurrected through his divine nature. Luther also concerned himself with this argument in great detail.

In this moving portrayal by Michel Ribestein, the emphasis is on victory. With his triumphal banner raised like a spear, Jesus storms the gaping dragon’s mouth to hell. Through the light that surrounds him, he literally illuminates the underworld: To me is given all the power on heaven and earth.

Now redeemed and given eternal life, the dead emerge from the hell mouth and come to him. Jesus greets Adam, who still carries a piece of the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge in his hand, at the centre of the image. This encounter embodies the primary theme of the work: original sin and death have been overcome. The surrounding area, clearly rendered with relish at the horrors it contains, is filled with devils, monstrous creatures, and demons. These show that Ribestein was familiar with the work of Martin Schon-gauer and Albrecht Dürer, as well as Dutch models.

Numerous inscriptions and text banners held by demons offer theological explanations and justifications of the images. At the entrance to hell are Moses’ tablets with the Ten Commandments, upon which the following inscription is now emblazoned: Death is swallowed up by victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

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30Harrowing of hellEpitaph for Simon Mehlmann and his family, detail

The painting therefore takes up the Lutheran themes of the Doctrine of Justification, ‘Law and Gospel’. Not only is death defeated, but the law is thus fulfilled and transcended by the grace through which Jesus entered the world.

At the top left, above an opening in the cliffs, Christ appears in the symbolic winepress. His cross is the winepress’ beam. Bent beneath its weight, he almost appears to be pressed himself. Blood pours from his wounds, flowing as wine that Christ presses into a communion chalice.

The allegory of Christ in the Winepress connects the suffering of Jesus to the communion, by which the promise of the resurrection is proclaimed to the congregation. The motif is commonly found in Christian art from the 12th century onwards. In this iteration, the communion chalice hovers directly before the triumphal banner, while a host appears above it. Thus the victory of Christ that promises redemption is directly associated with his sacramental gifts. These are visualized in the Lutheran sense ‘in both forms’, i.e. as bread and wine.

The painting skilfully combines these two traditional subjects in order to explain Lutheran doctrine, which testifies to the deep theological knowledge of the patron and presumably the painter. Mayor and court advisor Simon Mehlmann had lost a child and two wives, one of whom was named Eva, between 1560 and 1562. In the painting, Eve and the young woman in the foreground at the right, as well as the child with the rattle, might refer to them. It is uncertain whether Mehlmann had himself depicted as the old man between them.

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unknown painter AposTles’ creeDSecond half of the 16th century, panel paintingOriginally in the Nikolaikirche, today in the possession of the Protestant church of St. Petri - St. Marien Berlin 32

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This painting is a Protestant didactic image in every sense of the term. Each scene enacts one sentence of the Apostles’ Creed. All of the individual scenes belong to the traditional visual canon of Christian art. Even without written explanations, they would have been easily recognizable to the viewer of the time.

In visual art before the Reformation, the few representations of the Apostles’ Creed depict the twelve Apostles with scrolls bearing the twelve sentences of the Latin Credo. Here Luther’s division of the text into three ‘articles’ moves to the centre of the picture, where the three aspects of the Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – are arranged.

In the foreground, God creates Eve from Adam’s rib and blesses her. Adam lies sleeping between blooming flowers and animals. This landscape incorporates all of the other scenes and extends the entire creation of heaven and earth across the painting.

The First Article: On Creation.I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

In the middle register of the painting are scenes of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The central motif is the Crucifixion. According to the Gospels, the centurion beneath the cross testified after Jesus’s death, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’ Verses recounting the life and death of Jesus appear at the left. At the margins is the annunciation to Mary as well as the nativity of Jesus in the stable. Behind the figures mourning beneath the cross are the column and other instruments of martyrdom that symbolize Jesus’s suffering. The entombment is depicted next to them.

At the right side Jesus descends into the underworld with his triumphal banner and frees the souls of the righteous, first and foremost the first parents Adam and Eve. Behind them appears the resurrection. The verses that follow are illustrated in the upper corners of the painting. The apostles sit in a circle on a mountain as Christ ascends into heaven.

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34Church and confession Doctrinal painting, detail

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Only his feet can still be seen. At the left we see him again next to God. He appears one final time, enthroned on a rain-bow, as the Judge on the Judgment Day.

The Second Article: On RedemptionAnd in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our LORD, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

The dove over the cross symbolizes belief in the Holy Spirit and introduces the third article. In the background, a con-gregation has gathered in a church to hear a sermon. Before them the forgiveness of sins is represented by a confession scene. The dead rise from the earth beneath Christ the Judge.

The Third Article: On SanctificationI believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. AMEN.

The Apostles’ Creed illustrated by such scenes is not the most common of subjects amongst images of Protestant doctrine. A few similarly structured paintings and Dutch engravings are known. We no longer know for whose tomb this particular didactic image was intended.

unknown painter crucifixioN of chrisTEpitaph for Lampert Distelmeyer and his familyca. 1588, panel paintingOriginally in the Nikolaikirche, on permanent loan from the Protestant church of St. Petri - St. Marien Berlin 36

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The chancellor to the elector Lampert Distelmeyer played a significant role in the practical implementation of the Reformation in Brandenburg over the course of 37 years. In recognition of his contribution to the foundation of the secondary school at the Graues Kloster, the Berlin magistrate offered him a prominent burial site by the high altar. But Distelmeyer chose this side chapel directly behind the pulpit for his family, thus clearly taking up a position in support of Luther’s emphasis on the word and the sermon in the Protestant service.

In the painting, the chancellor kneels with his family at the feet of the crucified Christ. Two of his grown children, Caritas and Christian Distelmeyer, would later appear a second time in the Nikolaikirche on their own funerary monuments. In its simplicity, the visual programme may be read as an alignment of the Protestant faith with Christ. The communion chalice, with which an angel collects the blood from Jesus’s side wound, also represents an explicitly Lutheran statement.

The celebration of communion proclaims the promise of redemption ensured by the death and resurrection of Jesus. The interpretation of communion was a great point of contention in Reformation debates. The doctrines of the different confessions vary in their conviction as to whether Christ is present in his word, in belief in him, or in the bread and wine itself. This image emphasizes the chalice as a component of the Protestant communion to which all had access. In the Catholic Church of the Middle Ages it was withheld from the laity. After the Reformation the communion was offered to the congregation ‘in both forms’, bread and wine. The painting thus takes up a specifically Protestant-Lutheran position by emphasizing the blood of Christ in the chalice. The Protestant-Reformed tradition did not share the view that Christ himself was present in the communion.

The reuse of the side chapels of the Nikolaikirche as burial sites began with the tombs of the Distelmeyer family. Other electoral court officials followed their lead. In contrast to the smaller donor figures of the older pictorial tradition, who tend to gaze into the distance, all these images include full-scale donor figures that seem to look the viewer in the eye.

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Nathan Mau and others crucifixioN of chrisT Epitaph for Lampert Distelmeyer and his family1612, panel paintingOriginally in the Nikolaikirche, today in the possession of the Protestant church of St. Petri - St. Marien Berlin 38

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After his father and predecessor declined the offer of burial in the choir, electoral chancellor Christian Distelmeyer exercised his right to the space. In the ambulatory he had two large memorial panels hung between the wall and the pillar. The richly carved frames and a large panel of text were lost in the Second World War. Only the memorial painting has survived.

The subject closely follows the tomb of his father, which also features the young Christian. For his own memorial, Christian Distelmeyer likewise kneels with his wife and daughters under the cross. The Lutheran concentration on Christ is enhanced by the angels with the instruments of martyrdom, which expands the significance of the image to include the redemptive power of the suffering of Jesus. However, in comparison to the tomb of his father, the emphasis on communion and the laity’s participation in it via the chalice (see page 37) has been tempered here. Analyses have shown the left angel’s arm and hand were altered when the painting was made. It is quite possible that a chalice collecting Christ’s blood had originally been considered for this work. Yet the scene was changed, and the angel merely points to Christ’s side wounds.

Christian Distelmeyer was reacting to the changing religious conditions at the electoral court. The followers of Calvin’s reformed Protestant theology increasingly gained influence at court at the beginning of the 17th century. According to this doctrine, Christ’s presence in the communion – and there-fore also in the wine – was considered as purely symbolic, in contrast to the Lutheran concept of real presence. Produced shortly before Elector Johann Sigismund himself converted to the reformed confession, the tomb of his chancellor attests to a measured treatment of the conflicting positions of the two faiths.

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unknown painterDoNor porTrAiTs AND iNTerior of The NikolAikircheEpitaph for Johann von Kötteritz and Caritas Distelmeyer1616, panel paintingOriginally in the Nikolaikirche, on permanent loan from the Protestant church of St. Petri - St. Marien Berlin 40

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Electoral advisor Johann von Kötteritz also joined the series of court advisors who had themselves buried in the side chapels of the Nikolaikirche. He was married to Caritas Distelmeyer, daughter and sister of two chancellors of Brandenburg. The couple’s children donated this portrait. It is one of the few remaining traces of what was once a completely decorated funerary chapel. While the painting makes visual references to the traditions of other court advisors, it also features its own unique subjects.

The alert and lively faces of the couple kneeling in the fore-ground almost seem to challenge the viewer with their eye contact. Moses and John the Baptist, who turn toward them, are abbreviated symbols for the juxtaposition of ‘Law and Gospel’ from the Lutheran Doctrine of Justification.

A view of the Nikolaikirche is depicted in the background. The painting reflects the church’s liturgical furnishings and works of art with rich detail and painstaking precision. Simultaneous scenes depict the most important stations in the life of a member of the congregation, from baptism to marriage to burial. This final station is illustrated by the Kötteritz funerary chapel itself, which is included in the image by means of a perspectival trick.

Particularly important to Lutheranism are the sermon and membership in a congregation, which appear in the painting beside and behind the baptism scene. Many people sitting in pews in the side aisle and nave of the church listen to the pastor. Even Johann von Kötteritz is shown attending the service, portrayed in the private pew of the Distelmeyer family at the front left.

In the past, the dating of the painting led to an interpretation of the emphasis on the Lutheran service and the interior space of church decorated with works of art as an explicit rejection of the Reformed confession to which the electoral court converted in 1613. The visual programme is deliberately neutral and provides no cause for attack or defence. Subjects that the two confessions might have found controversial, like the communion, were explicitly avoided. The allegorical

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42Interior of the Nikolaikirche around 1616Epitaph for Johann von Kötteritz and Caritas Distelmeyer, detail

figures as well as the life lived within the congregation are shorthand, albeit clearly so, for Luther’s Doctrine of Justification. Less instructional than calm and sound, the painting broadcasts the Lutheran understanding of the family.

One further aspect makes this clear. The intense contact that the Lamb of God makes with the couple illustrates the Lutheran concentration on Christ in a touching way. Because the floor of the chapel was a half metre lower in the 17th century than it is today, the lamb was originally at eye level with the viewer, guiding his or her gaze into the image. This Lamb with the triumphal banner, a symbol for the resurrected Christ, appears friendly, almost cheeky. We have the impression that it nudges and sniffs at the pommel of the court advisor’s sword. The christological promise of redemption thus takes on a very personal quality, like a dialogue, which the focused gaze of the couple in turn imparts upon the viewer.

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furTher reADiNg

Badstübner, Ernst: Berlin. Nikolaikirche und Nikolaiviertel (Schnell, Kunstführer Nr. 2366). Regensburg, Schnell & Steiner, 1999.

Badstübner, Ernst und Sibylle: Die Berliner Marienkirche und ihre Kunstwerke (Das christliche Denkmal, Band 90). Berlin, Union-Verlag, 1985.

Badstübner, Ernst und Poscharsky, Peter, in ders. (Hg.): Die Bilder in den lutherischen Kirchen. Ikonographische Studien. München, scaneg, 1998.

Becken, Jörg: „Die Epitaphien Distelmeyer-Kötteritzsch in der Nikolaikirche Berlin-Mitte“. In: Jahrbuch der Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin 2004/2005. Berlin, Henschel Verlag, 2005, S. 73 – 95.

Brehm, Knut et al.: Grabmalskunst aus vier Jahrhunderten. Epitaphien und Grabdenkmäler in der Nikolaikirche zu Berlin. Katalog der Sepulkralplastik. Berlin, Märkisches Museum und Argon Verlag GmbH, 1994.

Cante, Andreas und Deiters, Maria in Bartoschek, Gerd (Hg.): Cranach und die Kunst der Renaissance unter den Hohenzollern. Kirche, Hof und Stadtkultur (Ausstellungskatalog). Berlin, Deutscher Kunstverlag, 2009.

Deiters, Maria und Kemmether, Gotthard (Hg.): Bürger, Pfarrer, Professoren. St. Marien in Frankfurt (Oder) und die Reformation in Brandenburg. (Ausstellungskatalog, Städtisches Museum Viadrina, St. Marien, St. Gertraud, Frankfurt/Oder). Dresden, Sandstein-Verlag 2017

Jung, Martin H.: Reformation und Konfessionelles Zeitalter (1517 – 1648). Göttingen, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2012.

Koring, Mirjam: „...ein wahres Schmuckkästchen...“. Unter-suchung der Strategien von Repräsentation und Dynastie-bildung in der Gesamtausstattung der Berliner Kötteritzsch-Kapelle. Magisterarbeit im Fach Kunstgeschichte, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, 2014.

Lohse, Bernhard: Luthers Theologie in ihrer historischen Entwicklung und in ihrem systematischen Zusammenhang. Göttingen, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1995.

Nischan, Bodo: Prince, People, and Confession. The Second Reformation in Brandenburg. Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1994.

Reinitzer, Heimo: Gesetz und Evangelium. Über ein reformato-risches Bildthema, seine Tradition, Funktion und Wirkungsge-schichte. Bd. I und II, Hamburg, Christians Verlag, 2006.

Weimer, Christoph: Luther, Cranach und die Bilder: Gesetz und Evangelium – Schlüssel zum reformatorischen Bild-gebrauch (Arbeiten zur Theologie, Band 89). Stuttgart, Calwer Verlag, 1999.

Wiederanders, Gerlinde: „Protestantische Bildgestaltung auf Epitaphien der Berliner Marienkirche“. In: Jahrbuch des Märkischen Museums VII. Berlin, 1982, S. 95 – 103.

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impriNT

IMAGESNo. 1, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13: © Ev. Kirchengemeinde St. Petri – St. Marien | photos: Andreas MiethNo. 2, 3, 4, 8: © Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin | photos: Michael SetzpfandtNo. 5: © Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin – Peter Straube | photo: Peter StraubeNo. 6: © Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin | photo: Hans-Joachim BartschNo. 12, 14: © Stiftung Stadtmuseum Berlin | photos: Michael Setzpfandt | Dauer-leihgabe der Ev. Kirchengemeinde St. Petri - St. Marien Berlin

Stadtmuseum Berlin in association with the Protestant parish of St. Petri - St. Marien BerlinExhibition management: Albrecht HenkysConcept and Texts: Mirjam KoringEditors: Eric Haußmann, Albrecht Henkys, Kathrin WolfText editing: Dominik BartmannTranslations: Stephanie Luther for Büro LS Anderson, Translations in Fine Art Exhibition design: Ines WenzelGraphic design: Grit Schmiedl, www.otyp.de

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Ein Projekt im Rahmen des Themenjahres Kulturland Brandenburg 2017 Wort & Wirkung – Luther und die Reformation in Brandenburg.

Kulturland Brandenburg 2017 wird gefördert durch das Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kultur sowie das Ministerium für Infrastruktur und Landesplanung des Landes Brandenburg.

Mit freundlicher Unterstützung der brandenburgischen Sparkassen.

Mit freundlicher Unterstützung der Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg.

Ein Projekt im Rahmen des Reformationsjubiläums 2017 der Evangelischen KircheBerlin-Brandenburg-schlesische Oberlausitz sowie des Kulturprogrammes „ZEIG DICH – Kultur zum Kirchentag“ anlässlich des 36. Deutschen EvangelischenKirchentages Berlin – Wittenberg.

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