Recently I was in Wien/Vienna, Austria and I thought to find the figure that the following image is based on.
I know this image from Farwerck and I had the idea that he gives Guido von List as a source for his image, but I cannot find (anymore) where he says that. It occurred to me that I never saw a photo of the image where this drawing was based on, so I wanted to find out if it is really a figure of the Stephansdom and if it still exists.
Let us first start to trace some sources for the image.
The image above is from Farwerck’s posthumous book Noordeuropese Mysteriën en hun Sporen tot Heden (1978). A slightly different version of the image appears in Noord-Europa, een der Bronnen van de Maçonnieke Symboliek (1955).
As you can see, the images are not exactly the same. Are they not reprints of somebody else’s drawing perhaps?
In his large book, Farwerck simply says that it is an image from the “Stefanuskerk in Wenen”. In his earlier and smaller book there is also no further source, but Farwerck does say that the figure comes from the “Riesentor van de Stephansdom in Wenen”.
“Riesentor” (‘giants tower’) is still a name for the main entrance. This entrance can be found between the “Heidenturm” or ‘pagan towers’, so called not because of pre-Christian symbolism, but because they are supposedly built on a preexisting Roman sanctuary. I had in my head that the image was to be found in the North tower.
In 1955 Farwerck wrote:
Met afbeelding gaven wij reeds een voorstelling van de Christus in het ‘strafteken’ en wij voegen daar thans met afbeelding 88 een tekening aan toe van een figuur aan het Riesentor van de Stephansdom in Wenen. Dit portaal werd vòòr 1147 gebouwd – althans in dat jaar werd de kerk gewijd. Maar daarna werd het twee keer door brand gedeeltelijk verwoest, zodat de hier weergegeven voorstelling vermoedelijk uit 1276 dateert. (p. 121/2)
With image we have already presented a representation of Christ in the ‘penalty sign’ and we now add a drawing of a figure on the Riesentor of St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna in picture 88. This portal was built before 1147 – at least in that year the church was consecrated. But it was subsequently partially destroyed by fire twice, so the depiction shown here probably dates from 1276. (p. 121/2)
So I found myself circling the cathedral, without knowing where exactly to look. In some elaborately decorated entrance, high up against the tower, on the inside perhaps? Needless to say that I did not find what I was looking for with much certainty. What does not help, the main entrance is crowded with people trying to get into the cathedral, so that is not ideal to have a good look at elaborate decorations (photo from Wikipedia):
So I started to ask around and a friendly employer of dombauwien.at sent pictures of a few suggestions, including a very likely one.
The shell-like background is there, the V-shape below, but not the circle. What is also noticeable is that in the image the sleeve is very clear, but most of all, the image has a raised thumb that appears to be absent from the actual figurine. In the photo the character is indeed holding his beard, but not obviously with a ‘sign’.
Farwerck published this image in 1955 in the chapter about the Masonic sign of the first degree. Two decades later he simply refers to the “penalty sign”, which can still be the same thing. The hand below the chin or the holding of the beard is sometimes seen as a sign of the master mason (it is not the sign of the master Freemason by the way) and thus these figures are referred to as master builders, either or not portraying themselves.
The employer of dombauwien.at says that these are not master builders, but more likely “prophets” who are known for holding their beards. I have not found any prophets holding their beards yet, but it is true that the same Stephansdom has certainly one and possibly two images of the master builder of the cathedral:
The man on the left in Anton Pilgram, the builder of the Stephansdom. He has got his working tools with him. Not stated, but the “window gazer” on the right, is probably the same man. Both images are in prominent places within the church, not tucked away on the side of a tympanum. I think is is safe to say that Farwerck’s image does not show the master builder of the Stephansdom.
Builders are known to have added little jokes in their works. When you look around, you sometimes see images of Bisshops with donkey ears, devils, etc. Perhaps the image we are looking at was a stone cutter who added himself to the tympanum. Perhaps he even made himself giving a sign, proving his rank or degree as a worker.
The Stephansdom has more figurines holding beards. In Farwerck you can find another one. It is on the same side of the cathedral, but against the wall, so ‘more outside’.
Prophet, building or something else?
It appears that the designations are a bit too easily (conveniently). Entered apprentices sign? Maybe. Master builder? Perhaps. Prophet? Who knows.
We have more examples of figurines in and on churches, but also on other buildings. A famous example is the Saint John’s Cathedral in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (or Den Bosch) in the Netherlands. It has 96 so-called “luchtboogfiguren” (‘flying buttress figurines’), high up on the outside, outside the gaze of the regular visitor. (Source Wikipedia.)
These images show animals, funny situations, but also crafts. There are a few mason and building images which are popular among Freemasons, because you can say they show the Entered Apprentice cutting a rock, a Fellow Craft building a wall and a Master Mason making the plans.
It is almost too good to be true: the so-called master is holding his beard.
I think that with a little more effort, I can find more examples of similar images that people ‘without an agenda’ say to be master builders.
Source
Now where did Farwerck find his image? Guido von List is not among his listed sources. I do have the idea that I ran into the image some time, but I currently cannot confirm or deny that. Hopefully I will be able to retrace that.
Conclusion?
So is Farwerck’s image a drawing of the Stephansdom figurine that I found? I think this is highly likely:
Details appear to be a bit ‘bent’, but either simply holding his beard (like the figures in Den Bosch) or making some sort of sign, I think we are looking at an image of someone trying to say something. Something in the vein of: “Look, I belong to the club.” If that makes him an (entered) apprentice or a master does not really matter.