In the side altar of St Martin's Basilica in Amberg is a painting from around 1490, depicting the scene of St Helen finding the Holy Cross. Executed in a mixed technique on board by a team of artists led by a painter with probably Polish roots, Jan Polak (1435-1519), the painting is not only a valuable monument, but also a testimony to the religious and artistic transnational transfer of people and ideas at that time.

The painting collection in the Basilica of St. Martin in Amberg

Situated south of the market square, on the banks of the Vils River, the late Gothic hall church of St. Martin dating from 1421-1521 conceals an extensive collection of sacred paintings that has been collected since the church was founded. The monumental painting composition 'The Finding of the Cross by St Helen' was purchased for the basilica's collection in the second half of the 19th century by the then dean and soon placed in one of the nineteen side altars.

On the ' Polishness' of Jan Polak

The origins of Jan Polak have been debated for more than a century. The artist appears repeatedly in Bavarian sources from 1482-1519 as an elder of the Munich painters' guild. So far, it has not been possible to establish whether the term "Pole" in the documents was a nickname related to his origin, which was later transformed into a surname, or to confirm the hypotheses that he was born in Krakow or Bavaria to a family of Polish emigrants.

The importance of Jan Polak's workshop

In the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the workshop run by Jan Polak gained a monopoly on producing large-scale paintings and retabulations for the Bavarian princes, especially Sigismund and Albrecht IV of the Wittelsbach family, as well as for the churches and monasteries of Upper Bavaria. Jan Polak's workshop also gained recognition among Bavarian city authorities, completing commissions for stained glass and wall paintings in public buildings and on city walls.

The success of Jan Polak's workshop was due to the visual appeal of the compositions, which deftly combined the achievements of Dutch art with the tradition of South German painting. Particularly noteworthy in the works are the fanciful depictions of architecture, finding analogies in later objects from the Lesser Poland region.

Description of the object

The monumental mixed-media painting from the Basilica of St Martin in Amberg depicts St Helen (c. 248-330), mother of the Emperor Constantine the Great, in a richly decorated gown and mantle, surrounded by an entourage, giving orders to excavate the foot of the Holy Venus in Jerusalem in order to rediscover the relics of the Holy Cross on which Christ died. In the background of the composition is an image of Jerusalem, with its monumental defensive walls and temple on a hill.

According to tradition, the event depicted by Jan Polak's atelier took place around 326-328. According to accounts by St Ambrose of Milan and St John Chrysostom, the identification of the Cross was made possible by a titulus bearing the name of the condemned man.