Collecting and Representing Saxon Identity in the Dresden Kunstkammer and Princely Monuments in Freiberg Cathedral

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE International Projects with a Local Emphasis: Collecting and Representing Saxon Identity in the Dresden Kunstkammer and Princely Monuments in Freiberg Cathedral A Thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Art History by Daniel A. Powazek June 2020 Thesis Committee: Dr. Kristoffer Neville, Chairperson Dr. Randolph Head Dr. Jeanette Kohl Copyright by Daniel A. Powazek 2020 The Thesis of Daniel A. Powazek is approved: Committee Chairperson University of California, Riverside ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS International Projects with a Local Emphasis: The Collecting and Representation of Saxon Identity in the Dresden Kunstkammer and Princely Monuments in Freiberg Cathedral by Daniel A. Powazek Master of Arts, Graduate Program in Art History University of California, Riverside, June 2020 Dr. Kristoffer Neville, Chairperson When the Albertine Dukes of Saxony gained the Electoral privilege in the second half of the sixteenth century, they ascended to a higher echelon of European princes. Elector August (r. 1553-1586) marked this new status by commissioning a monumental tomb in Freiberg Cathedral in Saxony for his deceased brother, Moritz, who had first won the Electoral privilege for the Albertine line of rulers. The tomb’s magnificence and scale, completed in 1563, immediately set it into relation to the grandest funerary memorials of Europe, the tombs of popes and monarchs, and thus establishing the new Saxon Electors as worthy peers in rank and status to the most powerful rulers of the period. By the end of his reign, Elector August sought to enshrine the succeeding rulers of his line in an even grander project, a dynastic chapel built into Freiberg Cathedral directly in front of the tomb of Moritz. The dynastic chapel, designed by court artist Giovanni Maria Nosseni (1544-1620) and completed in 1594, was sumptuously decorated in precious stones quarried locally, some of which were even unique to the region. Elector August collected precious stones and gems and employed many of his iv court servants, including Nosseni, to survey his lands for additional sources of stone. The Elector even practiced stone carving within his residence, in a newly named wing called the Kunstkammer , one of the first established in northern Europe. Informed by his own experience working his local stones in his Kunstkammer , August initiated a collection of locally quarried precious stones, the literal economic bedrock of his territory, and emphasized their representational capability in the form of diplomatic gifts and public monuments. The dynastic chapel established the Albertine line as worthy members of the highest level of nobility and the local stones decorating the interior represented the valuable resources unique to Saxony as well as the supreme power of its rulers to realize the full potential of their territory. v Acknowledgements Graduate programs coincide with the adulthood phase of people’s lives and, removed from the primary focus of one’s grade school and undergraduate years, often necessitate the difficult task of balancing one full-time responsibility with another – or more. My delicate juggling of life, work, and school, not equally effective at all the time, owes whatever success I managed to attain to many others. To everyone who assisted me in this undertaking, even if unknowingly, I give wholehearted thanks. As with any considerable undertaking, the number of people who contribute to its success far exceeds the amount of space provided here, so any omissions do not indicate any less appreciation on my part. The most literal assistance came from a Richard D. Carrott Memorial Fund Award in 2019, funds that went directly into a very fruitful research trip to Saxony, Germany and which translated into a major methodological focus of this thesis. Additional financial support came from the UC Riverside Dean’s Distinguished Fellowship and from the educational assistance program from my generous employer, the J. Paul Getty Trust. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to each of my supervisors during the MA program, Sally McKay, Mahsa Hatam, and Ann Harrison, whose unwavering support and willingness to entertain constant scheduling rearrangements went beyond reasonable expectation. Practically speaking, their flexibility allowed me to finish the program on schedule. I am extremely fortunate to work in such a collegial and scholarly atmosphere as the Getty and have profited from many informative talks with fellow Getty staff, vi scholars, and visitors to the Getty Research Institute. At UC Riverside, the willingness to share expertise and support one another found in the students, faculty, and staff has been remarkable. My conversations with fellow graduate students in our common room and individually with professors in their offices have both provided me with the concrete advice necessary to accomplish smaller goals as well as broached the larger modes of intellectualism and scholarship that have proved integral to my academic and personal growth. I single out especially the professors whom I have interacted with as a student, Drs. Malcom Baker, Johannes Endres, Liz Kotz, Fatima Kuraishi, and Jason Weems; and even more so my cohort who shared in many of those classes, Zoe Appleby, Charlie Arnold, Savannah Dearhamer, Daniela Ruano Orantes, and Cambra Sklarz. My historical introduction to the Reformation period largely took place during an independent study with Professor Randolph Head, a course that proved immeasurably valuable to my approach to most of the works discussed in this thesis. Professor Jeanette Kohl, who at our first meeting offered her willingness to discuss my project, has been a great resource for her knowledge of funerary monuments of the period and her insistence on a discussion of the objects as the foundation for interpretation. I sincerely thank both of them also for their precise criticisms and considerable effect on the final content of this thesis. One could not wish for better members of a thesis committee. From beginning to end, Professor Kristoffer Neville has exceeded his stated role as advisor, whose suggestion of thesis subject, through many twists and turns, eventually morphed into what is now written. Throughout that time, he has offered advice on further reading to be done and questions to be considered and was always available to entertain the much less vii penetrating questions of my own. While the thinking and overall argument of the thesis are my own, many of the underlying ideas stem back to our conversations and his suggestions. I thank him many times over for the guidance and advice he has provided during the past two years. Despite the best intentions and advice of my committee, any remaining errors or logical inconsistencies remain my own. Above all, my family has been infinitely accommodating of my needs, and more especially my absences, throughout the program and have my deepest appreciation. I dedicate this thesis to my parents, with love and heartfelt gratitude. viii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................ iv Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... vi Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. ix List of Figures .................................................................................................................... x Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: The Tomb of Moritz, Magnificent Monuments, and Material Choice ... 19 Two Tombs for Moritz.......................................................................................... 26 Contemporary Tomb Projects across Europe....................................................... 40 The Object Activated and Reanimated................................................................. 55 Chapter 2: Kunstkammer and Dynasty, with a Local Emphasis ................................ 64 Nosseni, August, and Artisanry............................................................................ 68 Collecting and Gifting: The Dresden Kunstkammer and Diplomacy................... 77 Dynastic Chapels, Local and Abroad.................................................................... 97 Materials Fit for a Prince.................................................................................... 106 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 126 Figures ............................................................................................................................ 131 Bibliography .................................................................................................................. 162 ix List of Figures Introduction Figure I.1: Elector August of Saxony, in part. Alte aufgetragenen Mappen welche Churf. Augustus mitt dem Wagen , surveying map from Augustusburg, Fol. 65 recto. c. 1577. ©SLUB / Deutsche Fotothek / Rous, André. Figure I.2: Martin Feyhel. Waywiser Instrument; Augsburg; brass and wood. 1580. ©SLUB / Deutsche Fotothek / Engelmann, Max. Figure I.3: Master HW (Hans Witten?). ‘Tulip’ Pulpit; Freiberg Cathedral; porphyry and wood. 1501-1510. Photograph by independent scholar.

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