Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Sculpture, Room 111, The Gilbert Bayes Gallery

Nikolaus Kolnpock of Ottstorf, Austria

Medal
1531 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is a silver medal made by Ludwig Neufahrer in Germany and dated 1531. The obverse of this medal represents Nicholas Kolnpock (1500-1570) facing left, bearded, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, gown and chain. The reverse shows a nude female figure seated on a stone on grass grasping her right foot. (A female version of the Spinario).

Neufahrer may have been a sculptor originally, although his work as a Mint-master, seal-cutter and goldsmith was at least as important as his activity as a medalist. He produced medals between 1530 and 1557; these included portrait, religious and commemorative medals. He made both cast and struck medals, though the majority were struck. Habich noted that the models for his early, larger medals were in boxwood, while the later ones are of stone. He was appointed Court Goldsmith by King Ferdinand I by 1541 and worked in Linz, Prague and Vienna.

Ludwig Neufahrer (active 1541-1563) was a medallist, goldsmith and diecutter, active in Austria, Germany and Bohemia. He was almost certainly trained in South Germany, later lived in Augsburg, Nuremberg and Linz, until he resided in Vienna in 1548. Probszt listed 111 medals by Neufahrer with portraits of royalty and members of the nobility, as well as leading citizens of the imperial cities of Augsburg and Nuremberg; there are also 10 medals with scenes from Classical mythology and the Bible. Neufahrer is regarded as the most important medallist working in Austria in his day.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleNikolaus Kolnpock of Ottstorf, Austria (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Silver
Brief description
Medal, silver, bust of Nikolaus Kolnpock of Ottstorf in Austria, by Ludwig Neufahrer, Germany, dated 1531
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 39.5mm
  • Weight: 37.2g
Marks and inscriptions
'NICLAS KHOLNPOCK ALT XXXI IAR M D XXXI' (German; Obverse)
Object history
Bought for £6 13s 9d. at the E. Piot sale, Hôtel Drouot Paris, April 21st, 1864.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This is a silver medal made by Ludwig Neufahrer in Germany and dated 1531. The obverse of this medal represents Nicholas Kolnpock (1500-1570) facing left, bearded, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, gown and chain. The reverse shows a nude female figure seated on a stone on grass grasping her right foot. (A female version of the Spinario).

Neufahrer may have been a sculptor originally, although his work as a Mint-master, seal-cutter and goldsmith was at least as important as his activity as a medalist. He produced medals between 1530 and 1557; these included portrait, religious and commemorative medals. He made both cast and struck medals, though the majority were struck. Habich noted that the models for his early, larger medals were in boxwood, while the later ones are of stone. He was appointed Court Goldsmith by King Ferdinand I by 1541 and worked in Linz, Prague and Vienna.

Ludwig Neufahrer (active 1541-1563) was a medallist, goldsmith and diecutter, active in Austria, Germany and Bohemia. He was almost certainly trained in South Germany, later lived in Augsburg, Nuremberg and Linz, until he resided in Vienna in 1548. Probszt listed 111 medals by Neufahrer with portraits of royalty and members of the nobility, as well as leading citizens of the imperial cities of Augsburg and Nuremberg; there are also 10 medals with scenes from Classical mythology and the Bible. Neufahrer is regarded as the most important medallist working in Austria in his day.
Bibliographic references
  • Trusted, Marjorie. German Renaissance Medals. Victoria & Albert Museum, 1990, p. 82.
  • Inventory of Art Objects acquired in the Year 1864. Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol. 1. London : Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 45
  • Scher, Stephen K, The Currency of fame: portrait medals of the Renaissance, New York, National Gallery of Art (U.S.), Frick Collection., 1994 pp.53-54, p.273
Collection
Accession number
530-1864

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Record createdMarch 1, 2004
Record URL
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