Wilhelm Stetter: the master with the Maltese cross

For a long time it was unclear who was hiding behind the initials W.S. Because the unknown painter left a Maltese cross as an additional mark on many of his paintings, he was called the «Master W.S. with the Maltese Cross». Only in 1952 could he be identified as Wilhelm Stetter (c. 1487-1552) — who had entered the Strasbourg commandery of the Order of St John in 1509 and been ordained in Basel in 1512.

Custodian for the Order of St John

In Strasbourg, where he spent his entire life, Stetter looked after the art treasures of the order; many of his pictures are likely to have been commissions for the Knights of St John. A good thirty paintings are attributed to him. They follow late medieval painting but already show influences of the early Renaissance — shaped by Hans Baldung Grien, who himself worked for the Strasbourg Knights of St John from around 1509 to 1511. The two are likely to have known each other personally.

Emperor Constantine carries the Holy Cross

The painting auctioned, «Kaiser Konstantin trägt das Hl. Kreuz nach Rom» (Emperor Constantine Carries the Holy Cross to Rome, 88 by 80 centimetres), is dated 1516 in the archway and counts among the painter’s earliest works. According to legend, on the eve of the Battle of the Milvian Bridge in AD 312, Emperor Constantine saw a cross in the sky that promised him victory — after his victory he promoted Christianity.

This rarity was auctioned at our Spring Auction 2022.