Ulrich II Fugger of Augsburg thumbnail 1
Ulrich II Fugger of Augsburg thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Medieval & Renaissance, Room 62, The Foyle Foundation Gallery

Ulrich II Fugger of Augsburg

Gamespiece
ca. 1530-1558 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This wooden medallion was almost certainly used as a games-piece. The depth of the turned wood border would protect the gesso portrait within during use. Games of skill such as chess and draughts with their chivalric and military associations had deep roots in patrician leisure, and Luxury boards and games-pieces became common possesions amongst the elite of Renaissance Europe. The top of the games-piece depicts a portrait of Ulrich II Fugger a member of a prosperous mercantile dynasty.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleUlrich II Fugger of Augsburg (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Turned pearwood, painted black, and coloured gesso
Brief description
Gamespiece, pearwood and gesso, Ulrich II Fugger of Augsburg, by an Unknown Master (Augsburg), Germany ca. 1530-1558
Physical description
Turned pearwood games-piece, the obverse of which depicts a portrait of Ulrich II Fugger in coloured gesso. Ulrich is portrayed in three quarter profile, bearded and wearing a caul and brocaded gown. The reverse is finished with turned concentric rings.
Dimensions
  • Diameter: 5.5cm
  • Depth: 1cm
Measured for the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries 2006
Marks and inscriptions
'*HVLDERICHVS.FUGGERVS.DE.AVGVSTAE' (Obverse, around the rim of the mount; painting)
Credit line
Salting Bequest
Object history
Provenance: Spitzer Collection. Frédéric Spitzer (b. 1815; d. 1890) was born in Vienna, and settled in Paris in 1852. He amassed a large collection of works of art, which were housed in l'hotel de la rue Villejust, known as the Musée Spitzer. The collection was auctioned in Paris in 1893.
Provenance: Salting Bequest. George Salting (b. 1836; d. 1909), an Australian who settled in England, bequeathed a large collection of works decorative art to the Museum in 1909.

Historical significance: This portrait is based on a copy of a painting by Hans Maler zu schwarz of 1525. A gesso version exisits ay Welbeck Abbey.
Historical context
This wooden medallion was almost certainly used as a games-piece. The depth of the turned wood border would protect the gesso portrait within during use. Games of skill such as chess and draughts with their chivalric and military associations had deep roots in patrician leisure, and Luxury boards and games-pieces became common possesions amongst the elite of Renaissance Europe. Probably produced in series, sets of such games- pieces comprised of perhaps thirty-two pieces, which have subsequently been split up and in part lost. It is likely that they were made in Augsburg in the mid-sixteenth century, copied from slightly earlier medals by Friedrich Hagenauer and others. Emminent personages such as Charles V or his brother Ferdinand are usually portrayed on this type of games-piece.
Production
By an Unknown Master (Augsburg)
Subjects depicted
Summary
This wooden medallion was almost certainly used as a games-piece. The depth of the turned wood border would protect the gesso portrait within during use. Games of skill such as chess and draughts with their chivalric and military associations had deep roots in patrician leisure, and Luxury boards and games-pieces became common possesions amongst the elite of Renaissance Europe. The top of the games-piece depicts a portrait of Ulrich II Fugger a member of a prosperous mercantile dynasty.
Bibliographic references
  • Trusted, Marjorie. German Renaissance Medals. Victoria & Albert Museum, 1990. 128p., ill. ISBN 1851770135.
  • 'Salting Bequest (A. 70 to A. 1029-1910) / Murray Bequest (A. 1030 to A. 1096-1910)'. In: List of Works of Art Acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum (Department of Architecture and Sculpture). London: Printed under the Authority of his Majesty's Stationery Office, by Eyre and Spottiswoode, Limited, East Harding Street, EC, p. 83
Collection
Accession number
A.517-1910

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdMarch 4, 2004
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest