Heise "quotes" Jacob von Melle

Summary: Part 1 of 7 about why the painting in Tallinn is not a remnant of Lübeck's original painting from 1463.

The painting in Lübeck was replaced by a new one in 1701, and Jacob von Melle wrote down the old text.

Jacob von Melle is our only witness to the old painting, so we should weigh his words carefully. Jacob von Melle starts by quoting 4 lines from the beginning of the painting, and then he writes: »Here between, a large piece is missing and almost half the dialogue. Thereupon Death speaks to the canon […]«(1)

Jacob von Melle's epitaph.

Based on this, Heise postulates that half the painting was missing (because it had been sold to Tallinn). This is misquoting of the worst kind:

Jakob von Melle had just quoted 4 lines from the beginning of the painting - the part that according to Heise should have been in Tallinn. This fact alone utterly explodes Heise's hypothesis.
The same thing is true for the end of the row: After the canon, von Melle quotes the text for Carthusian and burgomaster. Jakob von Melle had shuffled the sequence of dancers (see the page about Jacob von Melle and the notes here and here) - but regardless of the order it remains a fact that von Melle has described two persons who - according to Heise - should have been in Tallinn.
Jacob von Melle started his account by telling: »There used to be old Low Saxon rhymes below, which partly were rather obliterated and partly - because of the many restorations - were very mangled.«(2) If Jacob von Melle says the letters where obliterated and mangled, it follows logically → that there must have been a painting to observe.
Heise "forgets" that after the replacement, von Melle wrote: »The pictures now look exactly as they were designed earlier«.(3) He didn't write »Gee, it's good to have some art on the wall after having stared at a blank wall for 113 years!«.

Conclusion: Jacob von Melle never said that half the painting was missing in 1701. Quite on the contrary.

Next section: Heise "quotes" Gotthard von Hansen

Footnotes: (1) (2) (3)

Jacob von Melle: »Hier zwischen fehlet ein grosses Stück und fast die Helffte der Zusammen-Sprache; darauf sagt der Tod zu dem Thum-Herrn […]«.

Jacob von Melle: »Es stunden ehmals alte Nieder-Sächsische Reimen darunter, welche theils ziemlich verloschen, theils auch wegen der offtmaligen renovation, sehr zustümmelt waren«.

Jakob von Melle: »Die Bilder sehen jetzo annoch eben so aus, wie sie vordem gestalt gewesent«.