Talk:Veit Stoss altarpiece in Kraków

It's a very beautiful altar. Title of the article needs to be anglicized. Any one out there? Dr. Dan 03:54, 24 July 2006 (UTC)
 * No doubt about that. Encyclopaedia Editing Dude 12:44, 28 July 2006 (UTC)

Possible Error?
The English WK article states that Stwosz was a German sculptor, while the article in Polish WK states that he was a Polish artist of German ancestry. Perhaps user:Halibutt (recently demonstrating an acute expertise on Mediaeval and Renaissance national origins), can clarify the matter once and for all. Dr. Dan 15:38, 28 July 2006 (UTC)

I saw eyesore, and it's in the List of Poles. Veit Stoss - Pole? Hmm.Encyclopaedia Editing Dude 05:14, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Move
Shouldn't this be at Altar of Wit Stwosz?--Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus 22:40, 28 July 2006 (UTC)
 * Piotrus, you seem surprised that the title of the article is not in English, which is surprising in itself, since you worked on it on two seperate occasions, last year on Oct 23, 2005, and earlier this year on April 9, 2006. Dr. Dan 00:52, 29 July 2006 (UTC) P.S. When it is renamed in English (hopefully soon) I think referring to St. Mary's Church in Cracow, rather than the sculptor himself (Stoss vs Stwosz), would prevent a few editing issues and disputes later. We probably should consult someone with some clerical expertise, if in fact the work, is an altar, as opposed to being the backround to one. I think it has a technical name other than an altar; I could be wrong. I'm not certain of this, however I have had the immense pleasure of personally meditating near this most beautiful expression of religious faith. p.p.s. Thanks for getting rid of the lime green (way too much). D
 * Now that I'm thinking about it, isn't this work considered an altarpiece, or maybe even a tryptich, at least in English? Dr. Dan 01:22, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Yes, Dan, it is strictly speaking not an altar but an altar piece or tryptichon. The Altar is the thing it stands on. However, colloquially "altar" is also used for altar pieces - the deciding factor in determining the article title is what the most common name used in English for that object - if it is "altar" then we should put in "altar" with an immediate explanation in the article. If the Polish name is most common in English it should stay too. I myself have no knowledge about the de facto issue but these are the principles we should apply. Str1977 (smile back) 06:18, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Huge Mistake?
The art history book I am currently using, Gardner's Art Through The Ages (Twelfth Edition) by Fred S. Kleiner and Christin J. Mamiya list this piece as The Death and Assumption of the Virgin. Before I changed the title and reworked the article I wanted to have this open for discussion for about a week before editing it. WhiteWingDemon (talk) 23:25, 15 January 2009 (UTC)

Article title
The title seems very unnatural English to me. Veit Stoss is the artist, so it would more normally be "Altarpiece by Veit Stoss". I notice that the Polish:WP title is "Ołtarz Wita Stwosza w Krakowie", which is (modulo my very basic knowledge of Slavic) "Altar (genitive:'of') Veit Stoss in Krakow". Googling for Krakow+altarpiece+Stoss gives various forms, with variously not-quite-natural English texts, but it seems to me that any of the following might be better titles:


 * Veit Stoss altarpiece in Krakow
 * Altarpiece by Veit Stoss in Krakow

Although both "Altar" and "Altarpiece" occur, the latter is strictly the correct term, so let's use it. Comments appreciated. Imaginatorium (talk) 06:36, 29 May 2016 (UTC)
 * Good catch, thank you. I moved it.Volunteer Marek (talk) 07:14, 29 May 2016 (UTC)

I would have been happy to have more discussion, but never mind: this is an improvement. About the history, reading the 1911 Britannica more carefully, it turns out there are two altarpieces by Veit Stoss in this one church in Krakow. Here's 1911EB in full:

"STOSS, VEIT (1438 or 1440-1533), German sculptor and wood carver, was born in Nuremberg. In 1477 he went to Cracow, where he was actively engaged until 1499. It was here that he carved the high altar for the Marienkirche, between 1477 and 1484. On the death of King Kasimir IV. in 1492 Stoss carved his tomb in red marble for the cathedral in Cracow. To the same date is ascribed the marble tombstone of the archbishop Zbigniew Ollsnicki in the cathedral at Gnesen; and soon after this he executed the Stanislaus altar for the Marienkirche at Cracow. In 1496 he returned to Nuremberg, where he did a great deal of work in completing altars. His main works are: a relief with the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin in the Germanic museum at Nuremberg, a statue of the Blessed Virgin in the Frauenkirche, the Annunciation in the Lorenzkirche and the circular rosary in the Germanic museum."

Imaginatorium (talk) 07:52, 29 May 2016 (UTC)
 * Yes, this one is usually called the "Large" or the "High" Altar. Or just "The Altar", so I think the naming is fine. But the other altar should probably be mentioned in the article as well.Volunteer Marek (talk) 17:33, 29 May 2016 (UTC)


 * Hallo, I was asked to help in this discussion but I know nothing about naming conventions for medieval woodcarving masterpieces so I've left a request for help at Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Visual_arts. Pam  D  17:21, 29 May 2016 (UTC)