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Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Sacred Silver & Stained Glass, Room 84, The Whiteley Galleries

Panel

ca. 1488 (painted)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Elisabeth von Wyssenburg-Krenkingen was princess-abbess of the convent of Our Lady (the Fraumünster) at Zurich from 1487 to 1496. Her arms are supported by an angel, a feature that is often found in ecclesiastical heraldry. It is recorded that the Zurich glass painter Lukas Zeiner received payments in 1488 for glass supplied to the convent, and it is likely that this panel was executed at that time.

Lukas Zeiner was both a glass painter and a glazier. He is recorded in the town records of Zurich between 1479 and 1512. At this time, the records are quite specific and glass painters like Zeiner are often recorded by name rather than as simply ‘glass painter’. In the 15th and 16th centuries it was becoming more common to commission secular, heraldic, glass. This was especially so in mainland Europe, where the rules as to who could claim a coat of arms were more relaxed than in England. Zeiner was a leading glass artist in the field of heraldic painting. His style, which featured a coat of arms with supporters within an elaborate canopy, set the stage for similar work for the next hundred years.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Clear, coloured and flashed glass with painted details and yellow (silver) stain
Brief description
Armorial panel of clear, coloured and flashed glass with yellow (silver) stain and painted details. Depicting the arms of Elisabeth von Wyssenburg-Krenkingen. Painted by Lukas Zeiner in Zurich, Switzerland, about 1488.
Dimensions
  • Sight height: 36.7cm
  • Sight width: 25.6cm
  • Framed height: 38.4cm
  • Framed width: 29.0cm
  • Framed depth: 3.2cm
  • Framed weight: 2.0kg
Gallery label
ARMS OF ELISABETH VON WYSSENBURG-KRENKINGEN Elisabeth von Wyssenburg-Krenkingen was princess-abbess of the convent of Our Lady (the Fraumünster) at Zurich from 1487 to 1496. It is recorded that the Zurich glass-painter Lukas Zeiner received payments in 1488 for glass supplied to the convent, and it is likely that this panel was executed at that time. Switzerland (Zurich), about 1488; by Lukas Zeiner Museum no. 81-1865((PW) 2004)
Object history
From the Pourtalès collection, bought
Historical context
Elisabeth von Wyssenburg-Krenkingen was princess-abbess of the convent of Our Lady (the Fraumünster) at Zurich from 1487 to 1496. Her arms are supported by an angel which is often found in ecclesiastical heraldry. It is recorded that the Zurich glass-painter Lukas Zeiner received payments in 1488 for glass supplied to the convent, and it is likely that this panel was executed at that time.

Lukas Zeiner was a glass painter and glazier. He is recorded in the town records of Zurich between 1479 and 1512. At this time, the records are quite specifc and glass painters like Zeiner are often recorded by name rather than as simply 'glass painter'. The commissioning of secular, heraldic, glass was becoming more common in the 15th and 16th centuries, especially on the Continent where the rules as to who could claim a coat of arms was more relaxed than it was in England. Zeiner was a leading glass artist in the field of heraldic painting and his style which featured a coat of arms with supporters within an elaborate canopy set the stage for similar work for the next hundred years.
Subject depicted
Summary
Elisabeth von Wyssenburg-Krenkingen was princess-abbess of the convent of Our Lady (the Fraumünster) at Zurich from 1487 to 1496. Her arms are supported by an angel, a feature that is often found in ecclesiastical heraldry. It is recorded that the Zurich glass painter Lukas Zeiner received payments in 1488 for glass supplied to the convent, and it is likely that this panel was executed at that time.

Lukas Zeiner was both a glass painter and a glazier. He is recorded in the town records of Zurich between 1479 and 1512. At this time, the records are quite specific and glass painters like Zeiner are often recorded by name rather than as simply ‘glass painter’. In the 15th and 16th centuries it was becoming more common to commission secular, heraldic, glass. This was especially so in mainland Europe, where the rules as to who could claim a coat of arms were more relaxed than in England. Zeiner was a leading glass artist in the field of heraldic painting. His style, which featured a coat of arms with supporters within an elaborate canopy, set the stage for similar work for the next hundred years.
Bibliographic references
  • H. Lehmann, Lukas Zeiner und die spatgotische Glasmalerei in Zurich, Zurich, 1926
  • Bernard Rackham, 'The glass painter Lukas Zeiner of Zurich and his school', Old Furniture, vol.8 (1929), pp.55-60
Collection
Accession number
81-1865

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Record createdSeptember 19, 2005
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