Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and Ferdinand I his brother
Medal
1532 (made)
1532 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is a brass medal made by Peter Flötner in Nuremberg, and dated 1532 and 1535 for the reverse respectively. The obverse of this medal represents Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and his brother Ferdinand I.
Flötner (ca. 1485-1546) was a sculptor, medallist, cabinetmaker, woodcutter and designer. He worked initially in Augsburg from around 1512 to 1516 before moving to Nuremberg where he became a citizen in 1522.
He is known for the wide range of his work, including fountains, organs, and furniture as well as decorative objects. He was probably born in the Thurgau region of Switzerland, and may have trained in the Augsburg workshop of the Renaissance sculptor Hans Daucher between 1515 and 1518. He was certainly influenced by Daucher’s Italianate style and that of Hans Burgkmair I. Flötner settled in Nuremberg in 1522, and was registered as a ‘master sculptor’ when he became a citizen in 1523. He is conjectured to have visited Italy in 1520-21, and again by 1530. These visits would have played a part in encouraging his adoption of Italian renaissance styles. In Nuremberg, Flötner introduced new classical forms in architecture, marking a change from the gothic style influenced by Albrecht Dürer. His mature classical style is seen first in the Apollo Fountain which he designed for Nuremberg in 1532. It is based on an engraving of Apollo and Diana by Jacopo de’ Barbari, and demonstrates Flötner’s confident interpretation of Italian composition and proportions. Flötner later worked on commissions for the interior decorations and furniture of various aristocratic houses.
Flötner (ca. 1485-1546) was a sculptor, medallist, cabinetmaker, woodcutter and designer. He worked initially in Augsburg from around 1512 to 1516 before moving to Nuremberg where he became a citizen in 1522.
He is known for the wide range of his work, including fountains, organs, and furniture as well as decorative objects. He was probably born in the Thurgau region of Switzerland, and may have trained in the Augsburg workshop of the Renaissance sculptor Hans Daucher between 1515 and 1518. He was certainly influenced by Daucher’s Italianate style and that of Hans Burgkmair I. Flötner settled in Nuremberg in 1522, and was registered as a ‘master sculptor’ when he became a citizen in 1523. He is conjectured to have visited Italy in 1520-21, and again by 1530. These visits would have played a part in encouraging his adoption of Italian renaissance styles. In Nuremberg, Flötner introduced new classical forms in architecture, marking a change from the gothic style influenced by Albrecht Dürer. His mature classical style is seen first in the Apollo Fountain which he designed for Nuremberg in 1532. It is based on an engraving of Apollo and Diana by Jacopo de’ Barbari, and demonstrates Flötner’s confident interpretation of Italian composition and proportions. Flötner later worked on commissions for the interior decorations and furniture of various aristocratic houses.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and Ferdinand I his brother (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Brass. Copper 80.5%, zinc 7.5%, tin 1.6%. Iron, lead and nickel also present. |
| Brief description | Medal, brass, conjoined busts of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and Ferdinand I his brother, by Peter Flötner, Germany 1532 |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Bought from the Soulages Collection in 1865. Jules Soulages (1812-1856) was a collector of French and Italian Renaissance art. After his death his collection was acquired by the Museum. Born in Toulouse in 1803, Jules Soulages practised as a lawyer in Paris and was founding member of the Société Archeologique du Midi de la France. He created an extensive collection of French and Italian Renaissance decorative art from 1825, comprising around 750 objects, including furniture, glass, ceramics, bronzes, enamels and ivories. In the late 1840s Soulages moved back to Toulouse, where Henry Cole viewed his collection in 1855. Subsequent sale negotiations led to the production of a catalogue and two exhibitions in England at the Museum of Ornamental Art at Marlborough House, and at the Manchester Art Treasures exhibition respectively, both enhancing the celebrity of the collection, and resulting in its acquisition for the South Kensington Museum. Soulages died on 13 October 1857, aged 54. The dealer John Webb was despatched to examine and report on the collection, which was purchased between 1859 and 1865 in installments for £11,000 with the assistance of 73 subscribers. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | This is a brass medal made by Peter Flötner in Nuremberg, and dated 1532 and 1535 for the reverse respectively. The obverse of this medal represents Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and his brother Ferdinand I. Flötner (ca. 1485-1546) was a sculptor, medallist, cabinetmaker, woodcutter and designer. He worked initially in Augsburg from around 1512 to 1516 before moving to Nuremberg where he became a citizen in 1522. He is known for the wide range of his work, including fountains, organs, and furniture as well as decorative objects. He was probably born in the Thurgau region of Switzerland, and may have trained in the Augsburg workshop of the Renaissance sculptor Hans Daucher between 1515 and 1518. He was certainly influenced by Daucher’s Italianate style and that of Hans Burgkmair I. Flötner settled in Nuremberg in 1522, and was registered as a ‘master sculptor’ when he became a citizen in 1523. He is conjectured to have visited Italy in 1520-21, and again by 1530. These visits would have played a part in encouraging his adoption of Italian renaissance styles. In Nuremberg, Flötner introduced new classical forms in architecture, marking a change from the gothic style influenced by Albrecht Dürer. His mature classical style is seen first in the Apollo Fountain which he designed for Nuremberg in 1532. It is based on an engraving of Apollo and Diana by Jacopo de’ Barbari, and demonstrates Flötner’s confident interpretation of Italian composition and proportions. Flötner later worked on commissions for the interior decorations and furniture of various aristocratic houses. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 699-1865 |
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| Record created | February 25, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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