NOVE SPOZNAJE O OLTARNOJ SLICI SV. MARTINA IZ ŽUPNE CRKVE U VARAŽDINSKIM TOPLICAMA
NEW DISCOVERIES OF THE ALTARPIECE OF ST. MARTIN FROM THE PARISH CHURCH IN VARAŽDINSKE TOPLICE

Summary/Abstract: The painting of St. Martin is dated to the 18th century and presumed to have originally belonged to an earlier wooden and polychromed altar from the time the church and its furnishing were renovated in the 1760s. In the late 19th century, the old altar was replaced by Francesco Robba’s altar of St. Catherine from Zagreb Cathedral, and since then the painting had on several occasions changed its location on the altar. It was first situated on the new altar as the main altarpiece, to be moved in the 1930s to the altar attic. Finally, in the 1970s it was completely removed from the altar and stored in the parish rectory, where it has remained kept to this day. Ludbreg Conservation Centre of the Croatian Conservation Institute carried out comprehensive conservation work on the painting of St. Martin from 2012 to 2013. In the course of these efforts, once the darkened varnish was removed, the author’s signature was uncovered with the year the painting had originated. This discovery corrected the painting’s dating to 1852, while the author was revealed to be Johann Beyer from Austria, who painted a series of altarpieces in Croatia from the 1840s to 1860s, including a painting for Svibovec near Varaždinske Toplice. Based on the records collected, it can be assumed that it was on this occasion that a new altarpiece was commissioned for the Baroque altar of St. Martin in Varaždinske Toplice. The painting was fully restored by relining the canvas with a new fabric to strengthen the support, a new stretcher and decorative frame were made, and upon the completion of conservation, it was returned to the parish rectory in Varaždinske Toplice. The work was financed by the Croatian Ministry of Culture.

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