The dialogue with literary and pictorial tradition. The projects of painted decorations of the John III Sobieski chapel in St Joseph’s Church on Kahlenberg, 1911–1914

Abstract

According to tradition, on 12 September 1683, before the Battle of Vienna, John III Sobieski took part in a Holy Mass celebrated by the papal legate Marco d’Aviano in the Guardian Angels Chapel at the Church of St. Joseph on Kahlenberg near Vienna. The memory of this event was cultivated by the Polish community in Vienna from the mid-19th century on. Fr Jakub Kukliński, the Resurrectionist rector of the church on Kahlenberg since 1906, undertook the task of renovating the church and the chapel, which had been named the Sobieski Chapel. Two competitions were held for the interior decoration project. Finally, this task was entrusted to Józef Mehoffer at the end of 1911. His plans for the decorations include the monumental composition Joannes Vinces, 1912, with the scene of the Mass of Marc d’Aviano and two painting sketches are connected with his concept of decoration: The Prayer of Innocent XI and The Archangel over the Battlefield, 1912–1913. As requested by his clients, in the scene Joannes Vinces Mehoffer referred to the Austrian tradition of depicting the memorable mass on Kahlenberg, including the German commanders together with Sobieski and his son James. The painting Joannes Vinces is dominated by the means of expression characteristic of historical painting. Generally, Mehoffer’s concept of chapel decoration should be considered an expression of the artist’s search for new forms of monumental painting. His painting concept was not realized.