(Constance before 1555–1618)
The Transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor with the Prophets Elijah and Moses with Saints John, Peter and James, and the donor Jacob Rassler (1568–1617),
oil on panel, 179 x 119 cm, framed

Provenance:
comissioned by Jacob Rassler (between 1602 and 1617);
Private collection, South Germany;
where acquired by the present owner

We are grateful to Bernd Konrad and Rainer Stüwe for independently endorsing the attribution of the present painting in full. Two extensive certificates by both scholars are available. Bernd Konrad has also inspected the painting in the original and analysed the infrared reflectogram.

Works of art of great and independent quality are relatively rare in Germany in the era between Lucas Cranach and the early baroque masters. The present painting, hitherto unknown and unpublished, is such an example. It is the only work by Memberger to have come to the market in recent years that justifies an entirely autograph attribution. Impressive in its emulation of contemporary Italian art, it is nevertheless firmly grounded in German painterly traditions. It is also remarkable as an historical document and represents a significant step in the development of German art.

The scene depicted had of course, most famously, been painted by Raphael in the first quarter of the sixteenth century and it appears conceivable that Memberger himself knew Raphael’s composition in the original. The Transfiguration of Christ is an event reported in the New Testament when Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant in glory upon a mountain. The Gospels Matthew 17:1–8, Mark 9:2–8 and Luke 9:28–36 describe it, and the Second Epistle of Peter also refers to it (2 Peter 1:16–18). In these accounts, Jesus and three of his apostles, Peter, James and John, went to a mountain (the Mount of Transfiguration) to pray. On the mountain, Jesus started shining with bright rays of light. Then the prophets Moses and Elijah appeared next to him and he spoke with them. Memberger chose to depict that important event, which establishes the father and son relationship between God and Christ.

Hans Caspar Memberger is considered one of the most important exponents of South German Mannerism in his fusion of Italian and German traditions. Yet, he is a somewhat elusive artist and only recent research and publications, among them important scholarly efforts by Bernd Konrad, have shed more light on this interesting character. Born in circa 1555 as the son of the painter Philipp Memberger, his first documented work appears to be a book illustration signed ‘CM’, dated 1569 (see B. Konrad, in: E. Moser, Buchmalerei im Bodenseeraum, 13. bis 16. Jahrhundert, Friedrichshafen 1997), which was commissioned by the then Bishop of Constance, Markus Sitticus von Hohenems. Recently, it has been proven that Memberger accompanied Hohenems to Rome, where he was employed in the decoration of the Cardinal’s Roman residence, the Palazzo Altemps near Piazza Navona. The account books for February and August 1579, among others, show payments made to an unidentified Master working there, who has convincingly been identified as Memberger. A Madonna in the studiolo of Cardinal Altemps, attributed to Vitruvio Alberi, appears to be one of the few surviving fresco paintings by Memberger in Rome (see P. Petroria, Roma di Sisto V. Le Arti e la Cultura, cat. no. 4, Rome 1993; W. Lippmann, Kardinal Marcus Sitticus Altemps und sein Enkel Giovanangelo Altemps – kuriale Karriere, Familienstatus und Kulturpatronage, in: D. Büchel, V. Reinhardt (eds.), Die Kreise der Nepoten: Neue Forschungen zu alten und neuen Eliten Roms in der frühen Neuzeit, Rome 2001, pp. 107–134).

In 1588, Memberger was appointed court painter to the Salzburg Prince-Bishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, who most probably had met his compatriot in Rome in his uncle’s Hohenems residence.
Memberger appears to have travelled within Italy. One of his first commissions by Raitenau, five works of a Fall of Man cycle painted in 1588 (now in the Residenzgalerie, Salzburg), seem heavily influenced by works by the Bassano family. His portrait of Raitenau demonstrates that Memberger also knew Roman and Florentine Mannerism portraits. Memberger is documented to have returned to Constance in 1598. Documented commissions prove his activity until 1616. A cycle of fifteen panels in the Church of Christ in Constance, depicting scenes with a rosary iconography, are very close in some details to the present painting. Especially in infrared reflectography, the elegant underdrawing, heavy impasto and Italian character of his work become apparent (see fig. 2, detail of the head of Moses). Slight variations between detailed underdrawing and execution are characteristic for the artist, most notably in the positioning of the eyes. Memberger often appears to have placed the eyelids deeper in his underdrawing than he did when executing the layers of paint, as has been deduced by Bernd Konrad from the analysis of the infrared reflectography.

The type and composition of Christ is similar to the figure of Christ in a drawing by Memberger in Stuttgart (see fig. 3). However, the drawing also reveals the influence of contemporary Netherlandish artists, such as Marten de Vos. The present painting is entirely characteristic for the mature period of Memberger. Peculiarities such as the slightly heavy eyes, finely detailed draperies and elongated hands are typical, as is the unique combination of Italian Mannerist models as inspiration (most clearly in the elegant figure of Christ) with an almost archaic, consistent local style. It has been observed that there is a decidedly late echo of Gothic panel painting in Memberger’s mature works. Indeed, Saint Peter and Elijah clearly demonstrate why some scholars have observed an unusually early local inspiration: Adrian Isenbrandt’s art apparently had a major impact on Memberger. This is also true with regards to the colouring, which is neither Roman nor Flemish, but again appears to have been influenced by Isenbrandt’s use of colour.

The present painting is also highly interesting as an historical document: the donor in the dress is clearly identified by the prominently placed coat of arms. Crowned by a Galero, it is flanked by twelve tassels, an indication of the donor’s position as an episcopal vicar. The coat-of-arms belongs to the Rassler Family, a prominent family from the region, later ennobled. The only member of the Rassler family who held this rank during the period of time in question was Jacob Rassler (1568–1617). Memberger’s panel painting is the earliest depiction of a member of the family by far, and the only one of Jacob Rassler in existence. After having studied in Siena and Padua, Jacob Rassler held many positions in the prince-bishoprics of south west Germany. In 1602, he was appointed as Provost of the collegial church of Saint Stephen in Constance, which establishes a definite terminus post quem, as it is this position and rank, not only in his coat-of-arms but also identifiable in his dress, in which he is depicted. The name of the donor might also have been a reason for the commission, as Saint James – Jacob - features prominently in the present panel.