LATE 19TH CENTURY OIL ON CANVAS LANDSCAPE PAINTING DEPICTING THE AUSTRIAN VILLAGE OF HEILIGENBLUT
It is with our compliments that we offer this wonderful late 19th century landscape painting depicting the Austrian village of Heiligenblut. Heiligenblut is a historic village situated in the eastern European Alps at the foot of the Grossglockner which is the highest mountain in Austria. In the medieval period, Heiligenblut prospered from the vast gold mines situated in the area and became a site of religious pilgrimage due to a 13th century legend of the Danish Prince Briccius. As the legend details Prince Briccius was traveling through the village of Heiligenblut in the year 914 returning home from Constantinople. He perished from a sudden avalanche and his remains were not discovered until sometime afterwards when his leg was found emerging upright through the snow. His remains were put to rest in a nearby cemetery but soon afterwards his leg was discovered yet again having emerged from the ground in the same manner that he was witnessed to have been found prior to his burial. As the legend purports, a vile of blood taken from the Hagia Sofia in Constantinople was discovered to have been concealed within the leg of Prince Briccius containing the Blood of Christ. Heiligenblut translates to "Holy Blood" for which the village was named. The Church of Saint Vincent of Saragossa was subsequently constructed in the late 13th century. The Church of Saint Vincent is depicted in the center of the painting having an elongated steeple top which has been a noted characteristic of the church since the medieval period. The church is said to contain the remains of Prince Briccius in a crypt and tomb as well as the religious relic containing the Blood of Christ in a sacrament house. The landscape depicts a schoolhouse and the surrounding architecture of the village which was modified in the early 20th century as the area became a popular site of tourism and skiing. The painting is in wonderful condition with an overall size of 32 3/4" wide x 27 1/2" tall and a sight size of 26 1/4" wide x 21" tall.
