Monogrammist C.J., vor 1902

THE LANDSHUT PRINCELY WEDDING OF 1475 WITH DEPICTION OF ADAM AND EVA IN PARADISE Height: 68 cm. Monogrammed "C.J.-M". The carving is a discovery for the historicist view of an important event in Bavarian history. Previously unknown, it has now resurfaced without any clues as to its provenance. It is not only the high level of carving, which presupposes a renowned artist, but also the large format, which is so rare for works in book wood, that points to the important occasion of its creation. After researching all the details in this unusually richly crafted work, such as the figures depicted on the plinth, the coats of arms and, above all, the positioning of the knightly procession, it ultimately emerged that this is a historicist commemoration of the Landshut princely wedding of 1475, an event that was of great political significance for the Christian West at the time and has been celebrated repeatedly every four years in the Lower Bavarian capital of Landshut since 1985. This famous event was added to the list of intangible cultural heritage in 2018. In keeping with the theme of a wedding, the artist has made the first human couple, Adam and Eve in paradise, the main subject: the couple under the tree of paradise next to a large figure of God the Father. Only in the high lower part of the carving is the courtly event figuratively staged as a commemorative scene. It is the courtly wedding procession for the marriage of Jadwiga (Hedwig) Jagiellonica (1457-1502), daughter of the King of Poland, Casimir IV Andreas (1427-1492), to George the Rich (1455-1503), son of the Bavarian Duke Louis the Rich (1417-1479). This Landshut wedding was celebrated on November 14 and 15, 1475. The political intention behind this marriage was also to strengthen ties with Eastern Europe. This was supported by Louis IX and Emperor Frederick III, who had attended the celebration. The marriage was prepared for a long time in Krakow. The 18-year-old bride had a two-month journey to undertake before arriving in Landshut, delayed by the plague in Wittenberg, via Posen, Berlin, Leipzig, Eger and Regensburg. The best man was Otto II von Neumarkt, cousin of the bridegroom. Princes and bishops were invited, including Albrecht Achilles of Brandenburg as court master and orator, or Count Palatine Philip. The wedding ceremony in St. Martin's was performed by Salzburg Archbishop Bernhard von Rohr. The otherwise rather reserved Emperor Frederick III himself opened the wedding ceremony with the bride. A celebration lasting several days followed, which cost the enormous sum of 61,000 guilders (over 20 million euros) (200,000 eggs, 11,500 geese, 40,000 chickens and 323 oxen were eaten, 20 silk tailors were employed), partly due to the travel delays and catering for around 9,000 guests (out of Landshut's population of 7,000). The significance of the event is also reflected in later memories: From 1880, the State Hall in Landshut Town Hall was redesigned and decorated with large-format murals of this wedding, created by Munich artists. In 1902, the association Die Förderer was founded for this purpose. The present carving was probably commissioned a few years earlier in this context. This large museum piece was masterfully carved in boxwood. The lower edge reveals that it was originally set in a much larger, possibly silver ornamental base, with the carved scene of the procession at eye level. The overall design follows the growth of the wooden material, which is rare in this size. The pedestal section, which rises above a six-sided plinth, bears a tree of paradise that stretches upwards between branches and leaves, filled with birds, small animals and a monkey in the branches, lizards, a tortoise or falcon, with a nest with a pair of storks at the top, probably an allusion to the expectation of offspring. Hovering to the side of the tree is the figure of God the Father in a long, flowing cloak, with a disc nimbus above his head. The posture betrays the distancing from the first human couple after the Fall. The long-bearded face looks towards Eve, who rises in a pleading posture. In front of her, Adam lies asleep, his head resting on a tuft of leaves, his eyelids closed dreamily, his brows raised forebodingly. Next to him on the ground are the forbidden fruits of the tree. Next to his bent leg at the root of the tree is the snake of seduction. Behind his back lies a lamb - a reference to the sacrifices that follow in the biblical legend. Behind him on the lawn is a rabbit, the traditional symbol of eroticism and fertility. In the pedestal zone, the central