ANNE WANNER'S Textiles in History   /  book reviews, articles
 
 

The Chasuable of a Priest (Die Kasel des Pfarrers Butz), by Karen Stolleis
reflections about a neogothic vestment (Ueberlegungen zu einem neugotischen Messgewand)
in: Pfarrkirche St.Peter und Paul 1353 - 2003, Eltville 2002
p. 164-169, coloured illustrations, Text in German
     
  The casuable in the catholic church of Eltville in Rheingau bears the inscription: Johannes Butz 1888. Buth was born in Eltville in 1848 and became a priest in 1871. From 1886 to 1899 he worked in Soden (Taunus). The church of Soden keeps all his vestments except for the white embroidered chasuble of his hometown.
It is not exactly known, where this vestment was embroidered, but as it seems it is the work of the embroideress Paulus who was active it in the two last centuries of the 19th c.

Several chasuble crosses of the Liebfrauenkirche in Frankfurt show similar stilistic characteristics. Very probable Johannes Butz saw them during his stay as a chaplain in Frankfurt and he used one of them as a model.

Josephine Paulus from Aachen showed at the exhibition of vestments of 1907 in Aachen some vestments, and it is also known that she embroidered after models of the artist Hermann Krakforst of Aachen.
In 1908 she is documented as owner of the vestmentshop in Aachen. This shop still could be found until 1943 at Bahnhofstr. 1 in Aachen. It very probable succeeded another shop with whitework embroideries which belonged since 1887 to the sisters Paulus.
 
 


close up of chasuble cross, Frankfurt,
St. Antonius, probably by Josephine Paulus, 1885


close up of chasuable of Johannes Butz,
St.Peter and Paul at Eltville, 1888
 
 


close up of fabric

 
chasuble 1902, Frankfurt, St.Antonius, Liebfrauenkirche
 
home   content Last revised January 24nd, 2003

For further information contact Anne Wanner wanner@datacomm.ch