Mary, wife of the Emperor Maximilian II
Medal
1575 (made)
1575 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This is a bronze medal made by Antonio Abondio (1538-1596) in Italy, dated 1575. It has only an obverse which represents Mary (1528-1603), the wife of the Emperor Maximilian II.
Abondio (1538-1596) and his teacher Leone Leoni were the only Italian medallists to be highly successful as court medallists north of the Alps. His eclectic style reflects Italian, German and Netherlandish sources. He was influenced by the Venetian Alessandro Vittoria and earlier by Alfonson Ruspagiari and the school of wax modellers and medallists centered on Reggio Emilia.
Abondio worked as a medallist and wax modeller in the Imperial court of the Holy Roman Empire in Prague and Vienna for most of his career. In 1571-2 he accompanied the Imperial Ambassador on a trip to Spain. Indeed, Abondio went on from the service of Maximillian II into that of Emperor Rudolph II upon his accession and Rudolph, interestingly, was among the most important early collectors of these type of curiosities and formed important collections at Prague, Dresden and Munich. Although Abondio is well-known as a medallist and court artist to the Holy Roman Emperors, he is generally accepted to be the first artist to work in wax in order to create a work of art from that material, rather than merely to use it as part of the sculptural process. He is therefore a key figure in the development of sculpting of wax, and in the history of portraiture. His development of the use of wax as a medium in its own right is also significant in its contribution to the formation of Kunstkammers and Cabinets of Curiosities. Wax was included in these collections because it was unusual and finely-worked.
Abondio (1538-1596) and his teacher Leone Leoni were the only Italian medallists to be highly successful as court medallists north of the Alps. His eclectic style reflects Italian, German and Netherlandish sources. He was influenced by the Venetian Alessandro Vittoria and earlier by Alfonson Ruspagiari and the school of wax modellers and medallists centered on Reggio Emilia.
Abondio worked as a medallist and wax modeller in the Imperial court of the Holy Roman Empire in Prague and Vienna for most of his career. In 1571-2 he accompanied the Imperial Ambassador on a trip to Spain. Indeed, Abondio went on from the service of Maximillian II into that of Emperor Rudolph II upon his accession and Rudolph, interestingly, was among the most important early collectors of these type of curiosities and formed important collections at Prague, Dresden and Munich. Although Abondio is well-known as a medallist and court artist to the Holy Roman Emperors, he is generally accepted to be the first artist to work in wax in order to create a work of art from that material, rather than merely to use it as part of the sculptural process. He is therefore a key figure in the development of sculpting of wax, and in the history of portraiture. His development of the use of wax as a medium in its own right is also significant in its contribution to the formation of Kunstkammers and Cabinets of Curiosities. Wax was included in these collections because it was unusual and finely-worked.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Mary, wife of the Emperor Maximilian II (generic title) |
Materials and techniques | Bronze |
Brief description | Medal, bronze, bust of Mary, wife of the Emperor Maximilian II, by Antonio Abondio, Italian, dated 1575 |
Physical description | This medal is an obverse only, representing Mary, the wife of the Emperor Maximilian II., with a legend. |
Dimensions |
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Object history | There is an electrotype copy of this medal (inv. no. 1857-100). It was bought from the Soulages collection in 1865. |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | This is a bronze medal made by Antonio Abondio (1538-1596) in Italy, dated 1575. It has only an obverse which represents Mary (1528-1603), the wife of the Emperor Maximilian II. Abondio (1538-1596) and his teacher Leone Leoni were the only Italian medallists to be highly successful as court medallists north of the Alps. His eclectic style reflects Italian, German and Netherlandish sources. He was influenced by the Venetian Alessandro Vittoria and earlier by Alfonson Ruspagiari and the school of wax modellers and medallists centered on Reggio Emilia. Abondio worked as a medallist and wax modeller in the Imperial court of the Holy Roman Empire in Prague and Vienna for most of his career. In 1571-2 he accompanied the Imperial Ambassador on a trip to Spain. Indeed, Abondio went on from the service of Maximillian II into that of Emperor Rudolph II upon his accession and Rudolph, interestingly, was among the most important early collectors of these type of curiosities and formed important collections at Prague, Dresden and Munich. Although Abondio is well-known as a medallist and court artist to the Holy Roman Emperors, he is generally accepted to be the first artist to work in wax in order to create a work of art from that material, rather than merely to use it as part of the sculptural process. He is therefore a key figure in the development of sculpting of wax, and in the history of portraiture. His development of the use of wax as a medium in its own right is also significant in its contribution to the formation of Kunstkammers and Cabinets of Curiosities. Wax was included in these collections because it was unusual and finely-worked. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | 731-1865 |
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Record created | May 6, 2008 |
Record URL |
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