Birth and Baptismal Certificate for George Manger (1809-1886)

Dateca. 1810

Attributed to Friedrich Bandel (fl. ca. 1800 - 1820)

OriginAmerica, Virginia, Rockingham County

MediumWatercolor and ink on laid paper

DimensionsPrimary Support: 11 7/8 x 15 1/8in. (30.2 x 38.4cm) and Framed: 14 1/2 x 18 3/8in. (36.8 x 46.7cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1959.305.1

DescriptionIn the upper half of the sheet, between two cone-shaped objects, stand figures labeled as Adam, Eve, and an angel. Four potted flowering plants are interspersed with the figures. Between Adam and Eve, a stylized tree bears a snake, which is headed for Eve; she has her hand on one of the apples hanging from the tree. Adam's body is filled with a red color and Eve's with a orange; the angel's torso is decorated with alternating blue and dotted white stripes, while his chest and limbs are filled with a yellow color and his wings with blue.
In the lower half of the sheet, wording appears within two crudely outlined heart shapes, while individual words are enclosed on small, scattered rectangular shapes between the hearts. Potted flowering plants appear at lower left, lower center, and lower right.

The 1 1/2-inch oak frame is probably a period replacement; it incorporates applied mahogany corner blocks and, at top and bottom center, hearts.

Label TextRepresentations of the Garden of Eden and the Fall of Man are seen on numerous objects made by early Americans of both German and non-German origins, as well as on imported wares, such as ceramics. Other fraktur examples also exist, but rarely was the theme used on birth and baptismal certificates. Bandel's selection of the composition possibly was prompted by a religious broadside or a similar printed piece he had seen. Because his rendering is somewhat crude and the figures are awkwardly positioned, one suspects that Bandel's interpretation of the theme was based on memory and not copied directly from any pictorial source.
The two hearts contain inscriptions relating to the subject's birth and baptism (left) and a popular baptismal hymn verse (right). Love, faith, peace, hope, and the names of other Christian virtues appear in the small blocks scattered between the hearts. Characteristics that identify the certificate as the work of Bandel include the pots at the lower corners and center with very indistinct round leaf forms. Similar foliage also issues from the four tulips above the hearts. The small round fruits on two-leafed stems hanging from the tree at the top are also indicative of Bandel's style, although these often look more like flowers in other pieces by the artist.
George Manger (also spelled "Monger") was the son of blacksmith Henrich Manger, Jr. (1780-1848) and his wife, Elisabeth Pence Manger (1785-1878), of, first, Rockingham County, Virginia, and then, from 1817 on, of Red Lion (Warren County), Ohio. George Manger married Mary Decker in Red Lion on April 18, 1833. Pastor Johannes Braun, who baptized young George in Virginia, served a number of congregations in Rockingham and adjoining areas of the state.
InscribedThe brown ink inscriptions are in Gothic-style lettering; they read: (extreme top) "Adam," "Der baum," "Eva," and "Engel"; (within the left heart) "Diese beide ehe Gattin/als henrich Manger und/seine haussfrau Elisabeth/ Mangern, ist im Jahr 1809/den 6ten Juni ein Sohn in/Virgini geboren Von Pfarr/braun getauft George/sein Vater und Mutter/waren Tauff/zeugen"; (in the small blocks between the two hearts) "Liebe", "Glaube", "Hoffnung", "Friede", "Demuth", "Freude", "Gedult", and "Erbarmen"; (within the right heart) "Ich bin getauft ich/steh im bunde durch meine/Tauf mit meinem gott so/ sprech ich stets mit frohem/munde im Creuz im trüb=/sal angst und noth ich bin/Getauft des freu ich mich/die freude bleibet/Ewiglich."
The English translation reads: (extreme top) "Adam," "The tree," "Eve," and "Angel"; (within the left heart) "To these two married people, namely Henrich Manger and his wife Elisabeth Manger, a son was born in the year 1809, the 6th of June, in Virginia, baptized George by Pastor Braun. His father and mother were his baptismal sponsors"; (in the small blocks between the two hearts) "love," "faith," "hope," "peace," "humility," "joy," "patience," and "mercy"; (within the right heart) "I am baptized, I stand united through my own Baptism with my God; and therefore joy my tongue has guided, Although in fear and pain I've trod; I am baptized; there's joy in me, The joy that lasts eternally."
ProvenanceOwnership prior to L. L. Beans (AARFAM's vendor) is undocumented.