64 - Carl Spitzweg (1808 – Munich – 1885), Devotion Before the Forest Chapel.

Carl Spitzweg (1808 – Munich – 1885), Devotion Before the Forest Chapel. Oil on painted cardboard. (Circa 1865). Approx. 30 x 23 cm. Monogrammed with an “S” in a rhombus in the lower left corner. Wichmann 1071. Secularization at the beginning of the 19th century had far-reaching consequences for the Catholic Church in Bavaria—not only were the ecclesiastical estates of the Empire largely abolished and numerous parishes dissolved, but religious life also came to a near standstill as a result. But what weighed even more heavily was the accompanying loss of significance of the clergy in general and their traditions in the public consciousness. As a result of the dissolution of numerous monasteries and parishes, which had noticeably reduced the visibility of the Catholic Church, the Church therefore pursued a Eucharistic revival in the second half of the century, centered on private prayer. Away from the large parishes, private prayer was specifically encouraged, and small places of devotion were established in rural areas. Particularly popular and deeply rooted in popular piety were places of devotion in the forest, which served as sites for inner reflection. Countless small wayside shrines and wayside crosses, often made of wood or stone, sprang up along forest paths, frequently marking sites of misfortune or places of thanksgiving. They spontaneously invited forest workers, shepherds, or dairymaids to offer a brief prayer or engage in inner reflection. Spitzweg depicts such a moment of prayer before a wayside shrine in his small painting. In a sunny clearing, situated slightly off the path to which a stone staircase leads, stands a forest chapel covered with a wooden roof. A well and a small stream round out the picture of an idyllic scene full of a sense of security. In front of the chapel, a peasant woman kneels on a step, her hands raised slightly in prayer or quiet reflection. She wears a dirndl in the color scheme of red, blue, and white so characteristic of Spitzweg, along with a hat—all in all, a very fashionable appearance. What might she be asking for help with? Perhaps a rendezvous with her beloved—the basket she has set aside, which she prepared for a picnic, could be a clue. Spitzweg explored the motif of the forest chapel in countless versions (Wichmann 1052–1072), each of which varies the theme in the same way: A kneeling woman prays before a wooden wayside shrine or a small chapel, usually situated in a clearing with a well or a stream. The motif of the forest chapel characteristically reveals Spitzweg’s conception of nature, in which he intertwines nature with the human emotional world. The seclusion of the clearing allows the peasant woman a moment of undisturbed, profound spirituality—a moment that is not coincidentally reminiscent of the monks’ solitude in the forest, whom Spitzweg so often depicted in front of their hermitages. In both scenes, the forest replaces the house of worship, offering the worshipper a sense of security and inner peace, while the canopy of leaves shields her from the outside world. Only the viewer bears witness to this intimate scene—and the deer watching the young woman. It is barely discernible in the thicket of the forest, lying in the darkness, while the peasant woman prays in the shadow of the chapel; yet behind her, warm golden light bathes the clearing. Her shadowed silhouette stands out against the light—the association with a halo, with the holy light of God, is certainly not unintentional. It is this particular use of light with which Spitzweg highlights the actual event, while the surroundings remain in darkness, leaving it shrouded in uncertainty—which imbues the scene with a quiet, almost sacred atmosphere and thus also opens the viewer’s gaze to the free, unadulterated creation. Dr. Peter Prange Bibliography: Wichmann, Siegfried, Carl Spitzweg. Devotion Before the Forest Chapel II, Documentation, Starnberg-Munich, R.f.v.u.a.K. 1990, p. 38ff, Bavarian State Library, Munich, Inv. No. Ana 656 SW 38; Wichmann, Siegfried, Carl Spitzweg. Chapel by the Path, Documentation, Starnberg-Munich, R.f.v.u.a.K. 2000, pp. 46–47, Bavarian State Library, Munich, Inv. No. Ana 656 SW 170. Provenance: D. Heinemann’s Kunst-Handlung (Galerie Heinemann), Munich 1880; Jacob Henry Schiff (1847–1920) and Therese Loeb-Schiff (1854–1933), New York (acquired from the aforementioned); Schiff/Loeb-Schiff estate auction at American Art Association Anderson Galleries, New York, December 7, 1933, Lot 102; Neupert Gallery, Zurich; Heinemann Gallery, Munich, August 13, 1934; Karoline Friederike Oetker (1867–1945), Bielefeld/Rittergut Hornoldendorf (acquired from the aforementioned); Private collection, Southern Germany (inherited from the aforementioned). Taxation: subject to differential taxation (VAT: Margin Scheme).