Stefan Lochner

Stefan Lochner (Meersburg, 1400 – Cologne, 1452) was a German late Gothic painter.

His style, famous for its clean appearance, combined Gothic attention towards long flowing lines with brilliant colours with a Flemish influenced realism and attention to detail. His compositions are often sprinkled with fanciful angels, singing and playing musical instruments.

He worked mainly in Cologne, Germany, and his principal work is the triptych of the Altar of the City Patrons (done in the 1440s, which is in the Cologne Cathedral), which represents the city in homage to the infant Jesus. The epitome of his style is Madonna of the Rose Bower (c. 1450, housed in the Wallraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne), showing the Virgin and Child reposing in a blooming rose arbor and attended by Lochner's characteristic child Angels.

The asteroid 12616 Lochner was named in his honour in late 2008.

Note from Johan Gerhard Schøpp: Konstanz is a town in s.e. Baden in Germany, by the Bodensee. Koncilie house was built the year 1388 and the city hall in renessaince architecture. Steffayn Loychener was born 1407 in Mergentheim, n. Wurtemberg. Artist. Painted a lot of paintings on the Koncilie house in Konstanz. Steffayn Loychener von Konstanz restructured his name to Stefan Lochner. He settled in Bonn in 1432 and married Lysbet. Stefan Lochner made several wonderful paintings in Kölnerdomen. To mention the wonderful altar painting "Der Altar der Stadtpatrone" and "Der Weltgerichtsaltar". Lochner spent a couple of years in Amsterdam and tought painting arts, where he was called "Meister". "Das Stefan Lochner zu dem kreis der maler europeischen ranges gehör als eiener der vorzuglichtsen vertreter deutscher art, ist den kunstforschern selbst erst seit der Lochner ausstellung im Kölner musseum 1935 klar geworden. So gering am umfang, so gross ist sein wertan kunstlerischer bedeutung." The book Stefa Lochnner "Ein maler zu K¨øln", written by professor Otto H. Förster. From publisher Bruder Auer verlag, Bonn, Germany. A wonderful book, 183 pages with wonderful paintings from Kölnerdomen, with citations from Durer and Goethe. Stephan Lochner died in Bonn in 1452. In the churchbook in Bonn his name was written and he was pierced with his own sword.