The triumphal cross in Lübeck Cathedral, a massive oak sculpture group consisting of 72 individual figures, remains a central point of reference for the workshop of Bernt Notke. Operating as a painter and sculptor during the late Gothic period, Notke emerged from his early training in Flanders to command artistic production across the Baltic region from the 1460s until his death in 1509.
Early Development and Workshop Practices
Born in Lassan in 1440, Notke likely spent his formative years in Flanders, potentially within the workshop of the tapestry weaver Pasquier Grenier in Tournai. This experience exposed him to large-scale project management and the division of labor essential for executing complex artistic commissions. By 1467, his presence in Lübeck was confirmed by city records, establishing a base that would support his career for decades, despite his frequent travels and prolonged residence in Sweden.
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Notke's workshop functioned as a communal operation, involving carpenters and artisans alongside the master. In 1479, he acquired a stone house on Breite Strasse in Lübeck, underscoring his established status. His portfolio included significant religious works, such as the 12-meter high altarpiece in Aarhus Cathedral, commissioned by Bishop Jens Iversen. This piece, signed in three locations, utilized realistic portraiture influenced by early Northern Renaissance styles.
Notable Works and Institutional Influence
The artist's output spanned various mediums, including the now-lost Danse Macabre tapestry created for Lübeck’s St. Mary's Church and the surviving fragment in Tallinn. In 1489, he finished the Saint George and the Dragon sculpture for Storkyrkan in Stockholm to commemorate Sten Sture the Elder. Beyond his artistic duties, Notke served as the mint master of Sweden from 1491 to 1497 and was named Werkmeister at the Church of Saint Peter in 1505.
Fast facts
- Born: 1440, Lassan
- Died: 1509, Lübeck
- Occupations: Painter, sculptor
- Citizenship: Germany
- Known works: Dance of the Death, Saint George and the Dragon, The Mass of Saint Gregory
- Mint master tenure: 1491–1497, Sweden
Questions readers ask
Was Bernt Notke primarily a painter or a sculptor?
Contemporary documents refer to him as a painter, but his practice involved a workshop that produced tapestries, large-scale wooden sculptures, and altarpieces, making him an multifaceted artist and workshop organizer.
What is the status of Notke’s original Danse Macabre?
The 26-meter tapestry produced in Lübeck between 1463 and 1466 was destroyed during allied bombing in 1942, though a 1701 copy by Anton Wortmann provides a record of the original.
Achievements
- Notable work: The Mass of Saint Gregory
- Notable work: Dance of the Death
- Notable work: The Danse Macabre
- Notable work: Saint George and the Dragon in Storkyrkan
