Singers' Contest on the Wartburg (c. 1853): Art, History and Details

Singers' Contest on the Wartburg (c. 1853) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Anton Romako (Austrian, 1832–1889).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

The story of the Sängerkrieg (minstrel contest) originated from German folklore of the 13th century. According to the legend, six minstrels entered a competition in order to determine who best understood how to sing the praises of a prince. The victory of Heinrich von Ofterdingen enraged the other minstrels who contrived to have him executed. Romako depicted the dramatic moment when the young, beautiful Heinrich appeals to Countess Sophia and gains a reprieve, much to the chagrin of the bloodthirsty, jealous minstrels in the background.

Object facts

• Title: Singers' Contest on the Wartburg
• Date: c. 1853
• Creator attribution: Anton Romako (Austrian, 1832–1889)
• Culture: Austria
• Type: Drawing
• Technique: graphite
• Dimensions: Sheet: 39.4 x 52.8 cm (15 1/2 x 20 13/16 in.)
• Collection: DR - Austrian
• Department: Drawings
• Accession number: 2012.55

Collection credit

Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Whitehill Art Purchase Endowment Fund

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.