En målning av Marie bebådelse av Herman Han i Kläckeberga kyrka i Småland

Abstract

A painting of the Annunciation by Herman Han in the Church of Kläckeberga in Småland

Abstract: A painting of the Annunciation by Herman Han (Gdansk 1580–Koznitz 1627/1628) dated 1616, in Kläckeberga Church, Småland (Sweden), is all that remains of an altarpiece that was taken as war booty in 1626 during Gustav II Adolf’s conquest of Braunsberg (Braniewo) in Prussia and was installed in 1633 on the high altar in Storkyrkan in Stockholm. After being replaced by another altarpiece, from 1702 to c. 1820, it adorned the altar in Kungsholm Church, Stockholm. In 1839, it was put up for sale and later donated to Kläckeberga, where it was rediscovered in 1915. Ever since, it has attracted the attention of Polish and Swedish art historians alike, not only for the painting itself but also for its inscriptions: ANNO 1616. INVENIT & PINXIT HERMAN HAN, ORATE PRO ILLO and D. O. M. BARBARA KNUTOWNA SUPERIORISSA PRO TUNC FIERI CURAVIT (The Mother Superior Barbara Knutowna has had [the altarpiece] created here). In the article, special attention is paid to the orchestra of angels in the celestial part of the painting. Two other such orchestras by Herman Han are also discussed, both in the predella to an altarpiece from 1619 in the cathedral in Pelplin. The detailed rendering of the orchestras shows that the artist had an intimate understanding of contemporary music and the instruments in use. By adding “sound” to the standardised formula for the Annunciation since the early 17th century, he has thus created his own individual version of the event.