'Die Zuflucht der Sünder'
Jeremias Gath was an early 17th-century German printer and engraver. His engraving 'Nachricht von einem Mord und Zerstückelung in Halle, Sachsen' ("News about a Murder and Mutilation in Halle, Sachsen", 1605) is notable for its use of sequential illustrations. 'Die Zuflucht der Sünder' ("The Refuge of Sinners") uses a prototypical speech balloon. Together with Hans Burgkmair the Elder, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Hans Holbein the Elder, Hans Holbein the Younger, Bartholomäus Käppeler, Caspar Krebs, Georg Kress, Der Prager Meister von 1609, Hans Rogel the Elder, Hans Rogel the Younger, Erhard Schön, Johann Schubert, Hans Schultes the Elder and Lucas Schultes and Elias Wellhöfer, he is one of the earliest German prototypical comic artists who left us with a signature.
Life and work
Not much is known about Gath's life and career, other than that he flourished in the early 17th century in the German town Augsburg, nowadays located in Bayern, Germany, but back then part of the Holy Roman Empire.
Die Zuflucht der Sünder
Among Gath's many engravings, two are interesting for comic historians. One is the undated 'Die Zuflucht der Sünder' ("The Refuge of Sinners"), which depicts a sinner pulled to Hell by Satan. Several scrolls are tied to his body, on which one of each of the Seven Sins is written. The sinner doesn't accept his fate, though. He begs to Jesus and the saints to pity his poor soul. His plea "Herr, Ebarme dich über Mich" ("Lord, Have Mercy on Me") is written on a scroll floating over his body, similar to a present-day speech balloon. Underneath the image, a moralistic rhyming text explains why the sinner is punished with eternal damnation. This makes it comparable with a text comic, where descriptions can be read in captions underneath the images.
News about a Murder and Mutilation in Halle, Sachsen
In 1605, Gath made so-called 'Geschichstblätter' ("Pages about Events"). Between the 16th and 18th century, such woodcut engravings were forerunners of today's newspapers. They portrayed battles, massacres, public executions, natural disasters and other atrocities. Gath was just one of several artists who made such drawings. Other creators include Johannes van den Aveele, Frans Hogenberg, Romeyn de Hooghe, Bartholomäus Käppeler, Caspar Krebs, Georg Kress, Der Prager Meister von 1609, Hans Rogel the Elder, Hans Rogel the Younger, Erhard Schön, Johann Schubert, Hans Schultes the Elder and Lucas Schultes and Elias Wellhöfer. Like most art from that era, the historical accuracy of these graphic "news reports" should be taken with a grain of salt. No eyewitnesses were consulted and all information was based on descriptions from messengers, travelers or hearsay. Unavoidably, anecdotes were sensationalized and used for propaganda purposes. The printers couldn't print opinions that could get them in trouble with the authorities. Audiences wanted to be awed as well. As a result, huge public festivities were made more bombastic, and scenes of death and despair were heavily dramatized. The prints were distributed all over Europe. Once the events became old news, the drawings were bundled and compiled into collectable picture albums.
In Gath's work, 'Nachricht von einem Mord und Zerstückelung in Halle, Sachsen am 2. August 1605' ("News about a Murder and Mutilation in Halle, Sachsen on 2 August 1605"), a real-life murder in Halle, Sachsen, is visualized in three sequential illustrations, with text underneath the images. In the first image we see how Friderich Kersten and his accomplice Jacob Spor murder and rob a man. In pure sadism they chop up the corpse in pieces. The criminals were captured and sentenced for armed robbery and murder. In the 17th century, the penalty for such crimes was death by breaking wheel. In the second panel, Kersten and Spor are driven to their execution, visualized in all its gory splendor in the next and final panel. Their bones are broken and their bodies bludgeoned. Afterwards, the corpses are tied to the wheel and put on display as a warning for other criminals. Although Gath doesn't divide the panels in borders, the different moments in time are still easily distinguishable. The path on the ground leads the viewer's eye from one event to another.
'Nachricht von einem Mord und Zerstückelung in Halle, Sachsen am 2 August 1605' ("News about a Murder and Mutilation in Halle, Sachsen, on 2 August 1605.").