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'''Earle Gene Labor''' (geboren am [[3. März]] [[1928]] in [[Tuskahoma]], [[Oklahoma]]) ist ein [[Vereinigte Staaten|amerikanischer]] Literaturwissenschaftler, der vor allem mit Arbeiten zu [[Jack London]] hervorgetreten ist.
[[Image:Goldene_madonna-2.jpg|300px|thumb|The Golden Madonna of Essen]]
The '''Golden Madonna of Essen''' is a gilded sculpture of the [[Virgin Mary]] and part of the treasury of the cathedral of [[Essen]], a city in northwestern [[Germany]].


Labor studierte an der [[Southern Methodist University]] ([[Bachelor|B.A.]] 1949, [[Master|M.A.]] 1952) und wurde 1961 an der [[University of Wisconsin]] zum [[Ph.D.]] promoviert. Seit 1955 lehrt an der [[Centenary College of Louisiana]] in [[Shreveport]] (der er bis heute als Emeritus verbunden ist), unterbrochen nur von den vier Jahren von 1962-1966, während der er als Professor für Englische Literatur am [[Adrian College]] im Bundesstaat [[Michigan]] lehrte. Zu Labors Veröffentlichungen zählen Essays zu Schriftstellern wie [[Henry James]], [[Stephen Crane]], [[Ernest Hemingway]], und [[William Faulkner]], sein besonderes Interesse gilt aber seit Jahrzehnten [[Jack London]]: 1991 gründete er an seinem College ein London-Forschungszentrum (''Jack London Research Center'') mit angeschlossenem Museum, das er bis heute kuratiert, 2013 veröffentlichte er eine vielbeachtete Biographie Londons im Verlag [[Farrar Straus Giroux]].
It is both the oldest known sculpture of the [[Madonna (art)|Madonna]] and the oldest free-standing sculpture north of the Alps, and one of the few major works of art to survive from [[Ottonian]] times. To this day it remains an object of veneration and symbol of identity for the population of the [[Ruhr Area]].


== Schriften ==
The sculpture has been known by its current name ''Golden Madonna'' only since the times of 19th century romanticism. A liturgical manuscript dating from around 1370 simply describes it as ''dat gulden bild onser vrouwen'' (literally "the golden image of Our Lady"), the 1626 treasure inventory of the Essen convent lists ''Noch ein gross Marienbelt, sitzend uff einen sthuell mit lauteren golt uberzogen'' ("Yet another image of Mary, sitting on a chair and coated with pure gold").
* (Hrsg. mit Wilford L. Guerin u. a.): ''A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature''. Harper, New York 1966.
* (Hrsg. mit Wilford L. Guerin u. a.): ''Mandala: Literature for Critical Analysis''. Harper, New York 1970.
* (Hrsg.): ''The Future of College English''. College English Association, 1972.
* ''Jack London''. Twayne, Boston 1974.
* (Hrsg. mit Robert C. Leitz III. und I. Milo Shepard): ''The Letters of Jack London''. 3 Bände. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA 1988.
* (Hrsg.): Jack London: ''The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and Other Short Stories''. Oxford University Press, Oxford und New York 1990.
* (Hrsg. mit Robert C. Leitz III. und I. Milo Shepard): ''Short Stories of Jack London: Authorized One-Volume Edition''. Macmillan, New York 1990.
* (Hrsg. mit Robert C. Leitz III. und I. Milo Shepard): ''The Complete Short Stories of Jack London''. Stanford University Press, Stanford CA 1993.
* (Hrsg.): ''The Portable Jack London''. Penguin, New York 1994.
* ''Jack London: An American Life''. Farrar Straus Giroux, New York 2013, ISBN 9780374178482.


== Date of Origin ==
== Weblinks ==
* [http://www.centenary.edu/news/2014/0000066 Dr. Earle Labor: The Biographer behind the Adventurist] (Porträt auf der Website des Centenary College of Louisiana).
The sculpture is dated around the year [[980]]. Thus, the Madonna was created during the tenure of [[Mathilda II.]] (971-1011) as abbess of the Essen convent. Under the reign of Mathilde, a granddaughter of [[Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Otto I]], and her sucessors Sophia of Gandersheim (1012-1039) and [[Theophanu]] (1039-1058), the convent acquired what are today the most precious works of art of the Essen treasury. The creator of the sculpture is unknown, but it is generally presumed that it was crafted either in [[Cologne]] or [[Hildesheim]]. Hildesheim is home to a Madonna slightly younger than the one in Essen, while Cologne seems more likely as the home of the artist since the folds in the Madonna's gown resemble those of the ''Otto-Matilda-cross'' dated 982 which is also part of the Essen treasury but was doubtless created by a Cologne goldsmith as it shares many features with the [[Gero cross]] of Cologne Cathedral.
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/29/books/review/jack-london-an-american-life-by-earle-labor.html?_r=0 Henry Giardina: ''Man Against Nature''] (Rezension von ''Jack London: An American Life'' in der New York Times Sunday Book Review (Onlineausgabe), 27. Dezember 2013.


{{DEFAULTSORT:Labor, Earl}}
== Description ==
[[Kategorie:Literaturwissenschaftler]]
Mary is depicted sitting on a stool, with a slightly oversized Christ child figure sitting on lap. She wears a tight, long-sleeved [[tunic]] and a cloak (''[[Palla (garment)|palla]]'') drawn over her shoulders. On her head she wears a veil, the ends of which are covered by the cloak. In her right hand she holds aloft a globe with her thumb and two fingers, while her left hand supports the infant in her lap. The Christ figure himself wears a pontifical gown and presses a book against his breast with his left hand.
[[Kategorie:Amerikanist]]

[[Kategorie:US-Amerikaner]]
The statue measures 74 cm in height, the pedestal is 27 cm in width. The core of the sculpture was carved from a single piece of wood, most likely from a poplar tree, though earlier art historians have assumed it to be pear, plum or lime. The sculpture's surface is entirely covered with gold leafs less 0.25 mm thick, which are held in place by minute golden bolts. The size of the individual gold leafs varies to suit the surface texture. The faces of both mother and child are pounded out of one single leaf each. The coloured eyes of the figures are made of [[Cloisonné|cloisonné]]d enamel. While the eyes of the mother are inset into carved fittings, those of the child are merely pasted on the wooden core. The child's hand is made of cast silver and was added only in the 14th century; the original right hand is lost. There are traces of original tenth century adornments on the orb in the Virgin's right hand, on the right back leg of the stool, as well as on the child's book and [[Halo (religious iconography)|nimbus]]. The [[agrafe]] showing an eagle and seemingly pinning Mary's cloak is an early thirteenth century addition; the [[fibula]] beneath has gothic features and is dated to the fourteenth century.
[[Kategorie:Geboren 1928]]
=== Preservation efforts ===
[[Kategorie:Mann]]
The Madonna was first restored in [[1905]]. By then the statue was riddled with [[woodworm]] tunnels and threatened to collapse. The restorers carefully removed the gold leafs, wrapped the statue in [[plaster cast]], insufflated the cavities to remove bore dust, impregnated them with insecticides and finally filled them with a mixture of glue, chalk and water, turning the figure around repeatedly in the process so as to reach every nook and angle. The surface holes were then sealed with bolts of oakwood and the gold leafs reapplied. The restoration cost a total of 3.200 [[German gold mark|Goldmark]] part of which was paid by the [[Prussia]]n state.

During and after World War II the statue suffered from hasty evacuation transports; many gold leafs came loose and the wood was again infested with parasites. A second restoration was undertaken by the Essen goldsmith Classen, who gassed the sculpture with pesticides and filled the woodbores with "liquid wood", a plastic then commonly used in wood restaurations.

The most recent restoration was undertaken in 2004 on the spot. A workshop was installed in the cathedral's treasure chamber to examine the condition of the sculpture. X-rays and endoscopy were used to detect remaining cavities, and both wood from the core and the sooty film that had accreted on the gold leafs over the centuries were chemically analyzed. The experts recommended that the statue be kept in a steady climate and not exposed to agitation. Cologne wood restorers Ria Röthinger and Michaela von Welck consolidated the wood of the stool, silversmith Peter Bolg polished the metal leafs of the coating and the child's right silver arm which had tarnished black over the years. The restoration was overseen by a commission of art historians and restorers led by Dr. Brigitta Falk, curator of the Essen treasury. The Madonna was returned to its habitual place in the cathedral in December 2004. A detailed restoration report is due to appear in an anthology 2007 along with further research papers on the statue and the Essen convent.

== History ==
=== Medieval mentions ===
[[Image:Essen Dom Westwerk2.jpg|thumb|[[Westwork]] of Essen Cathedral]]
Whether and exactly when the statue was commissioned, acquired or donated is unknown, and documents referring to the Madonna are surprisingly scarce for the first cpuple of centuries of its existence. It seems certain that it was part of the cathedral treasure by 993, when Emperor [[Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto III]] paid the convent a visit and donated a [[crown]], the so-called "child's crown", which is also part of the treasure to this day. Since this first mention the Madonna has always been in the cathedral save in wartime. Apparently the bitter conflict between the diocese of Cologn and the Lords of Isenberg over domination of the Essen convent that resulted in the murder of Archbishop Engelbert by the hands of Friedrich von Isenberg in 1225 did not touch upon the possession of the sculpture, nor did the centuries-long quarrel whether the city of [[Essen]] be legally a [[Free Imperial City|free imperial city]] or rather a tributary to the convent ever affect that matter.

The seal of the city of Essen of 1244 shows the Madonna between the Saints Cosmas and Damian. The first documented mention of the Madonna is from the 1370 ''Liber Ordinarius'', which details a fully developped liturgy and processions centred around the statue. The fact that the [[Canon (priest)|Canon]] received the Madonna from the hands of the treasureress for processions on [[Purification of the Virgin|Purification]] leads historians to assume that the sculpture was used shown exclusively for processions and was stored out of public sight for the rest of the year. Suggested repositories include the fortresslike [[westwork]] of the cathedral and the ''armarium dictum sychter'', an annex to the right nave.

=== Evacuations in Early Modern Times ===
The [[Thirty Years' War]] necessitated the first evacuation of the sculpture. In 1634 the then abbess of the Essen convent, Maria Clara von Spaur, Pflaum und Valör, sought shelter in Cologne and took the cathedral treasure with her. It would remain there until the end of the war in 1648. In these years the Madonna and the now lost Marsus shrine of the Essen treasure were paraded in processions, outshining the treasures of Cologne's cathedral, as the annals of the Essen convent proudly claim.

The second evacuation was effected in [[1794]] before the advance of the French revolutionary army. It was hidden in the orphanage of the nearby town Steele. The convent of Essen ceased to exist in 1803 following the [[secularization]] of of ecclesiastical principalities in the [[Reichsdeputationshauptschluss]]. The Ownership of the Madonna passed on to the Roman Catholic parish St. Johannes, which used Essen cathedral as its parish church. Throughout the 19. century the sculpture was for the most time locked away in the treasury, only seldom examined by art historians.

=== 20th Century ===
The Madonna remained in Essen throughout Word War I but was again evacuated in its aftermath. After the communist revolt in the Ruhr area in spring 1920 the St. Johannes parish, fearing another uprising, decided to hide the statue in safe place that would be unknown even to its own parson so as to prevent discovery by treason or extortion. A goldsmith from [[Aachen]] was assigned to find a hiding place, and he finally negotiated with another German diocese that the Madonna and the rest of the Essen treasure be concealed in a place that only the goldsmith and a designated guardian would know about - even the bishop was only informed about the general plan, but not about the exact location of the sanctuary. A document detailing the whereabouts was deposited in a Dutch diocese in case the middleman got killed. The plan worked so well that to this day it is unknown where exactly the treasure was hidden in that time - it is only certain that the treasure was packed in cardboard and shabby suitcases and to some place in the diocese of [[Hildesheim]]. The voucher deposited in the Netherlands was destroyed after the treasure was finally brought back to Essen in 1925 when the political situaution seemed stable. In the summer of 1925 the goldsmith from Aachen and his son retrieved the treasure from its sanctuary and brought it back to Esse, travelling in a fourth-class [[Reichsbahn]] carriage and carrying the treasure inconspicuously as hand luggage.

During World War II the Essen treasure was first evacuated to [[Warstein]], then to castle [[Albrechtsburg]] in Saxony and finally moved to an air-raid shelter in Sieg, where it was discovered by American troops by the end of the war. Because the treasury in Essen had been destroyed by air raids, the Madonna could not return to its natural place until the 1950s. It was first brought to the Hessian state museum in [[Marburg]], then to castle Dyck near [[Rheydt]]. From April to June 1949 it was shown in an exhibition in Brussels, then through October in Amsterdam, and finally returned to Essen. Until the reconctruction of Essen cathedral was completed the treasure was stored in the vault of Essens's savings bank. The Madonna has not left the city since.

== Iconography ==
=== Influences ===
The Golden Madonna is both the oldest known sculpture of the Madonna and the oldest free-standing sculpture north of the Alps. It is also one of only two extant medieval gilded [[cult image]]s. Gilded sculptures are frequently mentioned in medieval documents, but apart from an image of St. [[Fides]] in the abbey of [[Conques en Rouergue]] in Southern France no such artifacts survive (the Madonna of Hildesheim was stripped of its original gold-leaf covering at some time). The fact that the stature is free-standing and the cloisonned eyes point to the influence of [[Byzantine art]] and its spreading to the Holy Roman Empire after the marriage of Emperor [[Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto II]] with the Byzantine princess [[Theophanu]] in 972. The overall form of the Madonna bespeaks that the the sculptor was not experienced in carving free-standing sculptures, since profile, front and rear view do not match up to a harmonic whole.

=== Religious and Political Significance ===
[[Image:GoMa.jpg|350px|right|thumb]]
As many medieval works of art, the Madonna displays a very complex [[iconography]]. The statue shows the Virgin in a rather plain gown, while the oversized Christ child figure in her lap wears a precious pontifical gown. The size is meant to illustrate the importance of Christ as redeemer. In contrast Mary is depicted in a serving role, in concordance with [[Gospel of Luke|Luke]] 1:38: ''And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.'' At the same time she embodies the [[Seat of Wisdom]] as the Throne of Salomon is described in [[Books of Kings|1 Kings]] 10:18: ''Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold.'' Sitting on her lap is the Christ child, whose ornate [[chasuble]] betokens his significance as ruler of the heavens, the book his role as herald of the faith. Bearing in mind other medieval portrayals of Christ as teacher, it may be supposed that the child's lost right arm was originally raised as a gesture of blessing. However, Christ's face is towards his mother, while from any position Mary's look seems directed towards the beholder. Thus Mary may arguably not only be interpreted as a passive devotee but also assumes the role mediator between the people and the Redeemer.

There are several possible interpretations for the orb Mary is holding in her right hand. It is tempting to construe it as the [[globus cruciger]] of the Holy Roman Empire. However, a globus cruciger is not attested as part of the Holy Roman Regalia until the coronation of [[Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor|Conrad II]] in [[1024]], and besides in the habitual depiction of the globus cruciger the orb is always shown held by the full hand and all fingers, not just three.

It is therefore safer to interpret the orb as an "apple of salvation" - in much the same way Eve held the apple of damnation plucked from the [[Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil]] Mary now proffers the beholder an apple symbolizing the redemption she has brought to the world by incarnating Christ. She thus appears as a New Testament [[Typology (theology)|antitype]] to Eve.

Another interpretation of the orb is akin to the globus-cruciger-theory. While such an object may not have been part of the coronation ceremony of the Holy Roman Empire until the next century, the idea of an orb symbolizing power over the ''Mundus'', i.e, the world, was well known by the time the sculpture was crafted. Depictions of this symbol of power can be found in [[Carolingians|Carolingian]] and [[Ottonians|Ottonian]] [[illuminated manuscript]]s. According to this theory then, Mary is holding the holding the whole world in her hands, and she is holding it in place of the one who is in fact for the one who is its sovereign, i.e. the infant in her lap.

The image of a mother holding the power over the world for her son may have had far-reaching political implications at the time of the sculpture's creation. Emperor Otto II, uncle to Mathilda, the then abbbess at the Essen convent, died in 983 in Rome, leaving as heir to the throne only his son Otto, achild of three years. Until her death in 991, Ottos Mother Theophanu served as regent for her underage son and defended his title against the claims of [[Henry II, Duke of Bavaria|Henry the Quarrelsome]], formerly Duke of Bavaria and male next of kin to Otto. The Madonna could thus be construed as an expression of Theophanu's insistence on being, [[by the Grace of God]], the rightful sovereign of the Empire until her son would be of age. Consequently, it may be inferred that Theophanu in fact donated the sculpture to the Essen convent. In the struggle for the throne, Mathilde most probably took the side of Otto and Theophanu, since she was [[Heir Presumptive|heir presumptive]] to her brother [[Otto I, Duke of Bavaria|Otto]], who in 976 had been granted the Dukedom of Bavaria after Henry's revolt, and therefore had an interest in maintaining good relations with him. It suggest itself also that the evntual Emperor [[Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto III]] donated the "Child's crown" on his visit to the convent out of gratfulness for its loyalty in the power struggle that took place when he was a mere child.

== Sources ==
<div class="references-small">
<references />
*This article is based on a translation of the [http://de.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Goldene_Madonna&oldid=22193433 corresponding German-language Wikipedia article] retrieved on [[October 7]], [[2006]].
</div>
*Falk, Brigitta. "„ein Mutter gottesbild mit gold plattirt“ - Zum Erhaltungszustand der Goldenen Madonna des Essener Doms." ''Alfred Pothmann - Hüter und Bewahrer - Forscher und Erzähler - Gedenkschrift.'' Essen 2003, ISBN 3-00-012328-8
*Fehrenbach, Frank. ''Die goldene Madonna im Essener Münster.'' edition tertius, Ostfildern 1996, ISBN 3-930717-239
*Gerchow, Jan. "Der Schatz des Essener Frauenstifts bis zum 15. Jahrhundert. Zur Geschichte der Institution." ''Alfred Pothmann - Hüter und Bewahrer - Forscher und Erzähler - Gedenkschrift.'' Essen 2003, ISBN 3-00-012328-8
*Hlawitschka, Eduard. "Kaiserinnen Adelheit und Theophanu." ''Frauen des Mittelalters in Lebensbildern.'' Styria Verlag, Graz 1997.
*Humann, Georg. ''Die Kunstwerke der Münsterkirche zu Essen.'' Düsseldorf 1904.
*Konnegen, Lydia. "Verborgene Schätze. Der Essener Münsterschatz in Zeiten des Ruhrkampfes." ''Münster am Hellweg.'' Mitteilungsblatt d. Vereins für die Erhaltung des Essener Münsters. Essen 2005, S. 67ff.
*Leonard Küppers, Paul Mikat: ''Der Essener Münsterschatz.'' Fredebeul & Koenen, Essen 1966.
*Pothmann, Alfred. "Der Essener Kirchenschatz aus der Frühzeit der Stiftsgeschichte." ''Herrschaft, Bildung und Gebet - Gründung und Anfänge des Frauenstifts Essen.'' Klartext, Essen 2000, ISBN 3-88474-907-2

Latest revision as of 18:17, 1 December 2020

Earle Gene Labor (geboren am 3. März 1928 in Tuskahoma, Oklahoma) ist ein amerikanischer Literaturwissenschaftler, der vor allem mit Arbeiten zu Jack London hervorgetreten ist.

Labor studierte an der Southern Methodist University (B.A. 1949, M.A. 1952) und wurde 1961 an der University of Wisconsin zum Ph.D. promoviert. Seit 1955 lehrt an der Centenary College of Louisiana in Shreveport (der er bis heute als Emeritus verbunden ist), unterbrochen nur von den vier Jahren von 1962-1966, während der er als Professor für Englische Literatur am Adrian College im Bundesstaat Michigan lehrte. Zu Labors Veröffentlichungen zählen Essays zu Schriftstellern wie Henry James, Stephen Crane, Ernest Hemingway, und William Faulkner, sein besonderes Interesse gilt aber seit Jahrzehnten Jack London: 1991 gründete er an seinem College ein London-Forschungszentrum (Jack London Research Center) mit angeschlossenem Museum, das er bis heute kuratiert, 2013 veröffentlichte er eine vielbeachtete Biographie Londons im Verlag Farrar Straus Giroux.

Schriften

[edit]
  • (Hrsg. mit Wilford L. Guerin u. a.): A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. Harper, New York 1966.
  • (Hrsg. mit Wilford L. Guerin u. a.): Mandala: Literature for Critical Analysis. Harper, New York 1970.
  • (Hrsg.): The Future of College English. College English Association, 1972.
  • Jack London. Twayne, Boston 1974.
  • (Hrsg. mit Robert C. Leitz III. und I. Milo Shepard): The Letters of Jack London. 3 Bände. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA 1988.
  • (Hrsg.): Jack London: The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and Other Short Stories. Oxford University Press, Oxford und New York 1990.
  • (Hrsg. mit Robert C. Leitz III. und I. Milo Shepard): Short Stories of Jack London: Authorized One-Volume Edition. Macmillan, New York 1990.
  • (Hrsg. mit Robert C. Leitz III. und I. Milo Shepard): The Complete Short Stories of Jack London. Stanford University Press, Stanford CA 1993.
  • (Hrsg.): The Portable Jack London. Penguin, New York 1994.
  • Jack London: An American Life. Farrar Straus Giroux, New York 2013, ISBN 9780374178482.
[edit]


Kategorie:Literaturwissenschaftler Kategorie:Amerikanist Kategorie:US-Amerikaner Kategorie:Geboren 1928 Kategorie:Mann

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