05 works, Today, December 17th, is Saint Florian's, day, his story, illustrated #350

Martin Johann Schmidt

St Florian extinguishing a fire, c. 1786

Oil on canvas

96.2 x 74.5 cm 

Private collection

Martin Johann Schmidt, called Kremser Schmidt or Kremserschmidt, (25 September 1718 – 28 June 1801), was one of the outstanding Austrian painters of the late Baroque/Rococo along with Franz Anton Maulbertsch.

He was born at Grafenwörth, lower Austria, a son of the sculptor Johannes Schmidt. He spent most of his life at Stein, where he mostly worked in the numerous churches and monasteries of his Lower Austrian homeland. While the evolution of his style after 1750 shows that he had either spent a formative period in northern Italy or had at least had extensive contact with northern Italian works of art prior to that date, his works are also clearly influenced by Rembrandt and the great fresco-painters of the Austrian Baroque.

Despite not having received formal academic training, in 1768 he was made a member of the imperial academy at Vienna due to his artistic merits, which by that time had already been recognized by a wider public inside and outside of Austria. More on Martin Johann Schmidt

Saint Florian was born around 250 AD in the ancient Roman city of Aelium Cetium, present-day Sankt Pölten, Austria. He joined the Roman Army and advanced in the ranks, rising to commander of the imperial army in the Roman province of Noricum. In addition to his military duties, he was also responsible for organizing and leading firefighting brigades. Florian organized and trained an elite group of soldiers whose sole duty was to fight fires.

Casper

Saint Florian, circa 1460

Woodcut, hand-colored

10 x 6-9/16 in.; 11-1/4 x 7-9/16 in.

Metropolitan Museum of Art 

Casper was a publisher and woodcutter working in Regensburg and Ulm during the latter half of the fifteenth century. 

During the Diocletianic Persecution of Christians, reports reached Rome that St. Florian was not enforcing the proscriptions against Christians in his territory. Aquilinus was sent to investigate these reports. When Aquilinus ordered Florian to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods in accordance with Roman religion, Florian refused. 

Albrecht Altdorfer, (1480–1538)

Capture of St Florian, circa 1520

Oil on canvas

Height: 78.3 cm (30.8 in) ; Width: 65.2 cm (25.6 in)

Bavarian State Painting Collections

For Albrecht Altdorfer, please see below

Aquilius then offered him a raise and promotion if he would change his mind. Florian refused. Aquilius was outraged and had his soldiers beat him with whips, yet Florian stood steadfast. He told Aquilius that he had suffered many wounds for the Emperor - why not a few scratches for his own beliefs? His courage scared Aquilius who feared that Florian would lead others to rebel. 

Albrecht Altdorfer  (1480–1538)

Martyrdom of St Florian, circa 1516 and circa 1520

Oil on canvas

Height: 81.3 cm (32 in); Width: 66.3 cm (26.1 in)

National Gallery Prague

For Albrecht Altdorfer, please see below

Florian was sentenced to be burned at the stake. Standing on the funeral pyre, Florian is reputed to have challenged the Roman soldiers to light the fire, saying "If you wish to know that I am not afraid of your torture, light the fire, and in the name of the Lord I will climb onto it." Apprehensive of his words, the soldiers did not burn Florian, but executed him by drowning him in the Enns River with a millstone tied around his neck.

Albrecht Altdorfer

The Martyrdom of St. Florian (panel from the St. Florian altar). c.1515

Oil on wood.

Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy.

Albrecht Altdorfer (c. 1480—12 February 1538) was a German painter, engraver and architect of the Renaissance working in Regensburg, Bavaria. Along with Lucas Cranach the Elder and Wolf Huber he is regarded to be the main representative of the Danube School setting biblical and historical subjects against landscape backgrounds of expressive colours. He is remarkable as one of the first artists to take an interest in landscape as an independent subject. As an artist also making small intricate engravings he is seen to belong to the Nuremberg Little Masters. More on Albrecht Altdorfer

His body was later retrieved by Christians and buried at an Augustinian monastery near Lorch. Later a woman named Valeria had a vision in which she saw him; Florian, in this vision, declared his intent to be buried in a more appropriate location. More on Saint Florian

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