Continuing the Legacy: The New Corpus of Baroque Ceiling Painting in Germany
The Corpus of Baroque Ceiling Painting in Germany, a research project embedded in the Academies' Program of the Union of Academies of Sciences and Humanities in Germany, commenced on April 1, 2015, under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Stephan Hoppe (Prof. for Bavarian Art History and Architectural History at the Institut für Kunstgeschichte, LMU Munich), who leads this new iteration of the Corpus. Building upon the foundations of its predecessor, the Corpus der barocken Deckenmalerei in Deutschland, established in 1966 by Prof. Dr. Hermann Bauer (1929-2000) and Prof. Emer. Dr. Bernhard Rupprecht, the project has a rich history.
The original Corpus, initiated at LMU Munich, received funding from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) until 2009. Prof. Dr. Frank Büttner (1944-2016) succeeded Prof. Dr. Bauer as the project's chair in 1994, holding the position of Prof. for Bavarian Art History at the Institut für Kunstgeschichte, LMU Munich. Under Prof. Dr. Büttner's leadership, the project published 15 volumes on baroque ceiling painting in Upper Bavaria (Oberbayern) until 2010. The volumes followed the organizational structure of the contemporary administrative divisions in Bavaria.
With a new chapter unfolding, the Corpus of Baroque Ceiling Painting in Germany preserves the rich heritage of its predecessor, carrying forward its mission of comprehensive research and documentation in the field of baroque ceiling painting.
Published volumes of the preceding project.
In 2012, Prof. Dr. Stephan Hoppe, alongside his predecessor at LMU Munich, Prof. Dr. Frank Büttner, Prof. Dr. Hubert Locher, and Dr. Christian Bracht (Directors of the Deutsches Dokumentationszentrum für Kunstgeschichte – Bildarchiv Foto Marburg, Philipps-Universität Marburg), applied for an extension and expansion of the Corpus of Baroque Ceiling Painting in Germany within the Academies' Program. Their successful application received approval in October 2014, allowing the project to continue and flourish. Spanning a remarkable duration of 25 years, the research project enters an exciting new phase.
The renewed Corpus of Baroque Ceiling Painting in Germany adopts a fresh approach, prioritizing digital technologies and exploring baroque mural painting through typological structures rather than focusing solely on topographical considerations. This shift is encapsulated in four distinct modules, unveiling a comprehensive exploration of this captivating artistic tradition.