In the thousand years between the end of the Roman Empire and Michelangelo there are three truly great sculptors: Gilbert of Autun, the Master of Naumburg, and Claus Sluter. There are no written sources about the Naumburg master, so his name, date of birth, his birthplace, and the chronology of his life are not known. However, art historians have been able to track his workplaces through analysing his style and stonemason’s marks. It seems that he worked firstly in northern France – at Noyon, Amiens and Reims. He then moved to Metz in the Holy Roman Empire, sculpted the choir screen in Mainz by 1239, worked on the Naumburg west choir up to 1250, and finally at the cathedral of Meissen in Saxony. His best known work is still in the cathedral of Naumburg, hence he is known to us simply as the Master of Naumburg.
Naumburg in northern Germany is a small provincial centre with a population of about 30,000 people. It was first mentioned in historical records just after 1000 AD. The Margrave of Meissen built a castle on the confluence of the Saale and Unstrut rivers to protect the intersection of two important trade routes. In 1028 it became the seat of a bishopric. It appears to have suffered comparatively little damage during the Second World War; its cobblestoned streets, market square and gardens are attractive features of a well preserved town.
The town is dominated by the four tall towers of its cathedral. An early Romanesque cathedral was constructed here in the first half of the eleventh century, and named after the Saints Peter and Paul. In 1245 a major reconstruction of the building began. Choirs were built at both the east and west ends and the towers added.
The presence of the Master of Naumburg is particularly evident in the sculptures on the choir screen and the walls around the sanctuary in the west choir. Twelve life-sized statues, not of religious figures, but of the secular benefactors of the original cathedral have been given dramatic poses, appearing to be communicating with one another across the width of the choir. Though the benefactors were not of the sculptor’s own time, their faces are natural and life-like. They are dressed in courtly garments of the thirteenth century: the drapery is thick and heavy, yet the figures show remarkable sensitivity and sobriety.
The two best known figures are those of Ekkehard and Uta. Ekkehard II, the Margrave of Meissen, was responsible for the founding of the town and the original cathedral. He married Uta von Ballenstedt in 1038 and she died in 1046. The master had a unique ability to give his figures realistic emotional and psychological expressions. Uta is clearly a forceful personality: her look conveys pride and confidence. At the same time, the gesture of the arm beneath the upturned collar portrays modesty. Both her grace and beauty have made Uta an icon of femininity in the Middle Ages.
