The clothier and cloth merchant Merten Groß does not hide his wealth when he has his house built opposite the town hall on the market square. House and portal are richly ornamented. The portal, which today forms the entrance to the Seigerturm of the Old Town Hall, is decorated above the seating niches with two sculptures of ancient female figures. Judith and Lucretia give the portal its name, embodying loyalty and courage, paired with fortitude. Both women carry a sword, Judith uses it to behead the Assyrian conqueror Holofernes, Lucretia turns the sword – rather a long dagger or a short sword – against herself and kills herself after being raped. As a result of both acts, foreign rule and dictatorship are ended.

At the vertex of the portal arch, below three friezes and the triangular roofing, three angels present an escutcheon showing the date 1559, the date when the house was built. To what extent the striking frequency of the number three may have been important to the clothier remains uncertain. However, they do not seem to agree, this trinity of angels. The one in the middle holds the shield in front of him with both hands. Only his head, chest and parts of his wings are visible, the rest of his body is covered by the shield. The angels to his right and left do not look directly at him or at possible observers and also look past each other. With one hand each they grasp the lower lateral edge of the shield. The other, however, they both place against the shoulder of the middle angel – as if they wanted to push him back. Whether the open mouth of the middle one thus treated utters a protesting “Oh” or becomes clearer, one can only conjecture.

Or is something completely different taking place up there? Is the heavy shield threatening to throw the middle angel off balance and pull him forward? Is he even threatening to fall from his airy ledge? And does a cry of terror escape from his open mouth because of the impending danger? Then the other two helpfully intervene, stabilize the shield and support, hold on their companion. But they do not only protect him, they also protect the people passing by or are crossing the portal. They want to prevent the shield from falling down. Looking down at an angle, they keep an eye out for passers-by. There is not much room up there for this rescue operation and sudden, vehemently movements …

But maybe everything is completely different? What do you think? Write us what you see!
E-mail to redaktion[at]entangelments.de

Marlen Wagner