Decision on redemption of humanity. Proposed painting decoration in catholic church in Dresden between 1737-1747
Abstract
The author of this contribution tried to reconstruct which subjects should have been depicted on the main altar, on ceiling frescoes and on other paintings located on the organ empora circulating round the inner space of the new catholic church in Dresden. This proposed design was not realised, because Anton Kern had died in 1747 when only the sketches and models were prepared and the final works of art were not initiated.
Mostly they are considered as works of other masters, primarily as G. B.
Pittoni, who was a teacher of Anton Kern. The author of this contribution put these preparatory sketches into the oeuvre of Anton Kern.
The church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. The topic of a main altar is Decision on redemption of humanity which made the Holy Trinity as a whole.
On the left part of the empora should have been paintings with Christian themes focused on the childhood of Christ. The new discovered pictures of the same pictorial style, form and measures, but with topics from the life of Moses, led the author of this paper to conclusion that on the opposite side of the empora should have been paintings depicting the episodes from the life of Moses as a counterpart to the scenes from the Christ's life.