Steinbach, Erwin von (d. 1318). German architect. His greatest work was at least part of the west front (which survives) and Chapel of the Virgin (destroyed), Cathedral of Our Lady, Strasbourg, France (c.1275–1318). In documents he is referred to as Meister Erwin Werkmeister (meaning Erwin, Master of the Works). Erwin's name may derive from the small village of Steinbach in Baden, and was celebrated by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) in Von deutscher Baukunst (Concerning German Architecture—1770–3). The drawing, known as Dessin B, which survives in the Musée de L'Œuvre de Notre-Dame, Strasbourg, dates from c.1275, and is probably in Erwin's hand. The Strasbourg façade, with its exquisite tracery over the portals, influenced many late-German Gothic designs.

Bibliography

Frankl (1960, 2000);
Holt (ed.) (1958);
Placzek (ed.) (1982);
Recht (ed.) (1989)

Erwin von Steinbach (d. 1318). See Steinbach.