Floris-Style’ the Sixteenth-Century Print Album of Ulrich, Duke of Mecklenburg, and His Inspirational Source for Sculptural Commissions

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Floris-Style’ the Sixteenth-Century Print Album of Ulrich, Duke of Mecklenburg, and His Inspirational Source for Sculptural Commissions 339 Rethinking the ‘Floris-style’ The sixteenth-century print album of Ulrich, Duke of Mecklenburg, and his inspirational source for sculptural commissions Cynthia Osiecki In the sixteenth century, printed works were spread all across Europe. Prints circulated at courts in various forms, from loose sheets to bundles, portfolios, and, last but not least, bound albums.1 Because most albums were later dismantled, little is known about print collection practices or about their practical usage in the sixteenth century.2 However, parts of the book and print collection of Ulrich, Duke of Mecklenburg (1527-1603), survived the ravages of time. These books and engravings can be directly linked to Ulrich’s architectural and sculptural commissions in his ducal seat, Güstrow, and the surrounding towns belonging to his duchy. This article will investigate the particular connections between Netherlandish ornament prints and Netherlandish stone sculpture. It will do so, firstly, by looking at a print album dated 1573, once belonging to Ulrich.3 Secondly, the commissions given by the duke to the workshop of the Utrecht-born sculptor Philip Brandin (c. 1535-1594) in the Hanseatic town of Wismar will be compared with the collected ornament prints. Since the influence of Netherlandish engravings on contemporary sculpture is only mentioned in passing in the literature,4 this print album has extra value; it provides new insights into the inspirational sources of a north-German princely patron for his large so-called Floris-style sculptural commissions, which went well beyond the widely spread inventions of the Antwerp sculptor Cornelis Floris (1514-1575). The term ‘Floris-style’ was coined by Robert Hedicke in 1913 in his important study on Cornelis Floris and his influence.5 Floris’s printed inventions disseminated his ideas on ornament from circa 1548 onwards, when his first series of grotesques was published by Hiëronymus Cock in Antwerp.6 This series spread Floris’s own floral-based inventien of the grotesque and arabesque forms, combined with scroll- and strapwork, masks, animals, vases, trophies, festoons, fruit, and putti.7 In 1551, three years after the publication, Floris’s first tombs and epitaphs appeared in the Baltic Sea Region, in Königsberg in Prussia (today Kaliningrad, Russia), and in Schleswig (today Northern Germany), then belonging to the Danish crown. Furthermore, Hedicke categorised most of the Netherlandish sculptors working in the Baltic Sea Region from the late 1550s onwards under the umbrella of the Floris-style, even labelling all of them as Floris’s apprentices – an assumption based on iconographic and stylistic references that in many cases still applies in present-day scholarship.8 However, recent research into Floris’s contemporary Willem van den Broecke (alias Paludanus) has demonstrated that Antwerp also had a more Detail fig. 1.
Recommended publications
  • Discover the Styles and Techniques of French Master Carvers and Gilders
    LOUIS STYLE rench rames F 1610–1792F SEPTEMBER 15, 2015–JANUARY 3, 2016 What makes a frame French? Discover the styles and techniques of French master carvers and gilders. This magnificent frame, a work of art in its own right, weighing 297 pounds, exemplifies French style under Louis XV (reigned 1723–1774). Fashioned by an unknown designer, perhaps after designs by Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier (French, 1695–1750), and several specialist craftsmen in Paris about 1740, it was commissioned by Gabriel Bernard de Rieux, a powerful French legal official, to accentuate his exceptionally large pastel portrait and its heavy sheet of protective glass. On this grand scale, the sweeping contours and luxuriously carved ornaments in the corners and at the center of each side achieve the thrilling effect of sculpture. At the top, a spectacular cartouche between festoons of flowers surmounted by a plume of foliage contains attributes symbolizing the fair judgment of the sitter: justice (represented by a scale and a book of laws) and prudence (a snake and a mirror). PA.205 The J. Paul Getty Museum © 2015 J. Paul Getty Trust LOUIS STYLE rench rames F 1610–1792F Frames are essential to the presentation of paintings. They protect the image and permit its attachment to the wall. Through the powerful combination of form and finish, frames profoundly enhance (or detract) from a painting’s visual impact. The early 1600s through the 1700s was a golden age for frame making in Paris during which functional surrounds for paintings became expressions of artistry, innovation, taste, and wealth. The primary stylistic trendsetter was the sovereign, whose desire for increas- ingly opulent forms of display spurred the creative Fig.
    [Show full text]
  • Acanthus a Stylized Leaf Pattern Used to Decorate Corinthian Or
    Historical and Architectural Elements Represented in the Weld County Court House The Weld County Court House blends a wide variety of historical and architectural elements. Words such as metope, dentil or frieze might only be familiar to those in the architectural field; however, this glossary will assist the rest of us to more fully comprehend the design components used throughout the building and where examples can be found. Without Mr. Bowman’s records, we can only guess at the interpretations of the more interesting symbols used at the entrances of the courtrooms and surrounding each of the clocks in Divisions 3 and 1. A stylized leaf pattern used to decorate Acanthus Corinthian or Composite capitals. They also are used in friezes and modillions and can be found in classical Greek and Roman architecture. Amphora A form of Greek pottery that appears on pediments above doorways. Examples of the use of amphora in the Court House are in Division 1 on the fourth floor. Atrium Inner court of a Roman-style building. A top-lit covered opening rising through all stories of a building. Arcade A series of arches on pillars. In the Middle Ages, the arches were ornamentally applied to walls. Arcades would have housed statues in Roman or Greek buildings. A row of small posts that support the upper Balustrade railing, joined by a handrail, serving as an enclosure for balconies, terraces, etc. Examples in the Court House include the area over the staircase leading to the second floor and surrounding the atria on the third and fourth floors.
    [Show full text]
  • Plant Motifs on Jewish Ossuaries and Sarcophagi in Palestine in the Late Second Temple Period: Their Identification, Sociology and Significance
    PLANT MOTIFS ON JEWISH OSSUARIES AND SARCOPHAGI IN PALESTINE IN THE LATE SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD: THEIR IDENTIFICATION, SOCIOLOGY AND SIGNIFICANCE A paper submitted to the University of Manchester as part of the Degree of Master of Arts in the Faculty of Humanities 2005 by Cynthia M. Crewe ([email protected]) Biblical Studies Melilah 2009/1, p.1 Cynthia M. Crewe CONTENTS Abbreviations ..............................................................................................................................................4 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................5 CHAPTER 1 Plant Species 1. Phoenix dactylifera (Date palm) ....................................................................................................6 2. Olea europea (Olive) .....................................................................................................................11 3. Lilium candidum (Madonna lily) ................................................................................................17 4. Acanthus sp. ..................................................................................................................................20 5. Pinus halepensis (Aleppo/Jerusalem pine) .................................................................................24 6. Hedera helix (Ivy) .........................................................................................................................26 7. Vitis vinifera
    [Show full text]
  • Cusack's Freehand Ornament. a Text Book with Chapters on Elements
    GIFT OF MICHAEL REESE Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/cusacksfreehandoOOarmsrich I CUSACK'S FREEHAND ORNAMENT. I CUSACK'S FREEHAND ORNAMENT. • A Text Book with Chapters on Elements, Principles, and Methods of Freehand Drawing, FOR THE GENERAL USE OF Teachers and Students of Public, Private and Elementary Schools ; for Students in Training Colleges, and for Elementary Art Students. BY CHAKLES AKMSTKONG, ft Art Master, City of London School of Art ; Late of the National Art Training School Examiner to the Art Department. Author of " Cusack's Shading " and '* Ciisack's Model Dravciny. vSS^ ^"^^^ 3/6 net. .CALIFORNl^^^ CITY OF LONDON BOOK DEPOT: White Street and Finsbury Street, Moorfields, London, E.G. /VC650 Pbinted bv Stbaker Bbothees & Co. " The Bishopsoate Pbess," 41-47, Bishopsoate Withoit, E.G. PEEFACE Twenty years ago it was generally believed that only a very small portion of the population were born with natural ability to draw, and that it was useless for the remainder to try. Now, however, it is generally admitted that all can develop a certain amount of ability to draw. Drawing has become general in elementary schools, and is recognised as a help in almost every trade or profession. This sudden popularity of the subject must make it very hard for teachers, who find a large proportion of their pupils with natural ability far below the average. To make headway at all with such pupils, definite method is essential. The object of this book is to teach definite methods, and to impress them on the mind by repetition.
    [Show full text]
  • Geometric Analysis of Forumad Mosques' Ornaments
    Proceedings of Bridges 2013: Mathematics, Music, Art, Architecture, Culture Geometric Analysis of Forumad Mosques’ Ornaments Mahsa Kharazmi Reza Sarhangi Department of Art and Architecture Department of Mathematics Tarbiat Modares University Towson University Jalale Ale Ahmad Highway, Tehran, Iran Towson, Maryland, 21252 [email protected] [email protected] Abstract This article analyzes the architectural designs and ornaments of a 12th century structure in Iran. Friday Mosque of Forumad, Masjid-i Jami' Forumad is a prototype mosque in Persian architecture using an application of ornaments. Architectural ornaments are important examples of practical geometry. The brilliant stucco ornaments, elaborate strapwork patterns with turquoise and cobalt blue, and floral motifs with underlying geometric patterns, made this mosque a worthwhile building in early Iranian-Islamic period. By introducing the mosque’s features, the ornaments that adorn some of the walls will be analyzed and geometric methods for constructing their underlying designs will be presented. 1 Introduction Early mosques were simple buildings with no decoration. After some decades and under the influence of advanced civilizations of conquered territories, architectural ornaments entered into their existence. Since Islamic thought prohibited artists and craftsmen of creating human figures, they turned their attention to abstract forms. They also benefited from mathematics, which flourished in early Islamic period in Baghdad. This resulted to a widespread movement in Islamic geometric art. Even though the designers of those structures had remarkable knowledge of applied geometry, there exist few written records to explain various methods that they employed for constructions of their designs [7]. Nevertheless, based on the detailed and sophisticated geometric designs in these documents we may suggest that some degree of mathematical literacy may have existed among the master builders, architects and master engineers [1].
    [Show full text]
  • Bodies of Knowledge: the Presentation of Personified Figures in Engraved Allegorical Series Produced in the Netherlands, 1548-1600
    University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations 2015 Bodies of Knowledge: The Presentation of Personified Figures in Engraved Allegorical Series Produced in the Netherlands, 1548-1600 Geoffrey Shamos University of Pennsylvania, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations Part of the History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons Recommended Citation Shamos, Geoffrey, "Bodies of Knowledge: The Presentation of Personified Figures in Engraved Allegorical Series Produced in the Netherlands, 1548-1600" (2015). Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 1128. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1128 This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1128 For more information, please contact [email protected]. Bodies of Knowledge: The Presentation of Personified Figures in Engraved Allegorical Series Produced in the Netherlands, 1548-1600 Abstract During the second half of the sixteenth century, engraved series of allegorical subjects featuring personified figures flourished for several decades in the Low Countries before falling into disfavor. Designed by the Netherlandsâ?? leading artists and cut by professional engravers, such series were collected primarily by the urban intelligentsia, who appreciated the use of personification for the representation of immaterial concepts and for the transmission of knowledge, both in prints and in public spectacles. The pairing of embodied forms and serial format was particularly well suited to the portrayal of abstract themes with multiple components, such as the Four Elements, Four Seasons, Seven Planets, Five Senses, or Seven Virtues and Seven Vices. While many of the themes had existed prior to their adoption in Netherlandish graphics, their pictorial rendering had rarely been so pervasive or systematic.
    [Show full text]
  • Antique Arms, Modern Sporting Guns & Exceptional Firearms
    Antique Arms, Modern Sporting Guns & Exceptional Firearms Montpelier Street, London I 3 December 2020 Antique Arms, Modern Sporting Guns & Exceptional Firearms Montpelier Street, London | Thursday 3 December 2020 Antique Arms: Lots 1 - 116 at 10.30am Modern Sporting Guns & Exceptional Firearms: Lots 117 - 363 at 2pm BONHAMS ENQUIRIES SALE NUMBER IMPORTANT INFORMATION Montpelier Street Antique Arms & Armour 25987 Please note that lots of Iranian Knightsbridge, Director London SW7 1HH Please see page 2 for bidder and Persian origin are subject David Williams to US trade restrictions which www.bonhams.com +44 (0) 20 7393 3807 information including after-sale collection and shipment currently prohibit their import +44 (0) 7768 823 711 mobile into the United States, with no VIEWING [email protected] exemptions. BY APPOINTMENT ONLY Please see back of catalogue for important notice to bidders Sunday 29 November Modern Sporting Guns Similar restrictions may apply 11am – 3pm William Threlfall to other lots. Monday 30 November Senior Specialist ILLUSTRATIONS 9am – 7pm +44 (0) 20 7393 3815 Front cover: Lots 345 & 337 It is the buyers responsibility Tuesday 1 December [email protected] Back cover: Lot 38 to satisfy themselves that the 9am – 4.30pm Inside front cover: Lot 98 lot being purchased may be Wednesday 2 December Administrator Inside back cover: Lot 56 imported into the country of 9am – 4.30pm Helen Abraham destination. +44 (0) 20 7393 3947 REGISTRATION BIDS [email protected] IMPORTANT NOTICE The United States Government +44 (0) 20 7447 7447 Please note that all customers, has banned the import of ivory To bid via the internet Junior Cataloguer irrespective of any previous activity into the USA.
    [Show full text]
  • Art Concepts
    ANCIENT ART - Greece Acropolis Greek, “high city.” In ancient Greece, usually the site of the city’s most important temple(s). Amphora A two-handled jar used for general storage purposes, usually to hold wine or oil. Archaic Smile In Archaic Greek sculpture, the smile sculptors represented on faces as a way of indicating that the person portrayed is alive. Atlant (Atlas) A male figure that functions as a supporting column. Black-Figure In early Greek pottery, the silhouetting of dark Painting figures against a light background of natural, reddish clay, with linear details incised through the silhouettes. Capital The uppermost member of a column, serving as a transition from the shaft to the lintel. In classical architecture, the form of the capital varies with the order. Caryatid A female figure that functions as a supporting column. Cella The chamber at the center of an ancient temple; in a classical temple, the room (Greek, naos) in which the cult statue usually stood. ANCIENT ART - Greece Centaur In ancient Greek mythology, a fantastical creature, with the front or top half of a human and the back or bottom half of a horse. Contrapposto The disposition of the human figure in which one part is turned in opposition to another part (usually hips and legs one way, shoulders and chest another), creating a counterpositioning of the body about its central axis. Sometimes called “weight shift” because the weight of the body tends to be thrown to one foot, creating tension on one side and relaxation on the other. Corinthian Corinthian columns are the latest of the three Greek styles and show the influence of Egyptian columns in their capitals, which are shaped like inverted bells.
    [Show full text]
  • Junior High-High School Edition)
    1 Glossary for the Virtual Tour (Junior High-High School Edition) A Acanthus – Representation of Acanthus plant leaf used in architecture and decorative arts as an ornamental motif, specifically in Classical architecture of the Greeks and Romans. Also used in the capital of the Corinthian order. Ad valorem taxes – Ad valorem is a Latin phrase meaning “according to the value,” meaning it is a tax proportional to the value of the underlying asset. Usually a type of property tax. Alabaster – A type of fine-grained gypsum that has been used for statuary, carvings, ornaments, church fittings, and monuments. Normally snow-white in color, however, it can be dyed or even be translucent depending on the treatment. Ante-chamber – A room that serves as a waiting area and entry to a larger chamber. Anthemion – A decoration in architecture consisting of radiating petals and used widely in Classical architecture. Arch – A curved structure, usually a doorway or gateway, that serves as support for a structure. Architect – A skilled person in the art of building, who designs complex structures such as government buildings, monuments, housing, etc. Architecture – The art and technique of designing and building. Architrave – In Classical architecture, the lowest section of the entablature (see entablature) directly above the capital of a column. Art Nouveau – Meaning “new art,” Art Nouveau is a style of art and architecture that was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is known by its floral designs, flowing lines, and curved tendrils. Attic – Denotes any portion of a wall above the main cornice (see cornice).
    [Show full text]
  • Putti As Moralizers in Four Prints by Master HL Megan L. Erickson A
    From the Mouths of Babes: Putti as Moralizers in Four Prints by Master H.L. Megan L. Erickson A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Masters of Art University of Washington 2014 Committee: Stuart Lingo Estelle Lingo Ivan Drpic Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Art History ©Copyright 2014 Megan L. Erickson 1 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………………………………… 1 CHAPTER ONE. The World of Master H.L. …………………………………………………... 4 CHAPTER TWO. Why Putti…………………………………………………………………… 15 CHAPTER THREE. Love’s Folly……………………………………………………………… 22 Eros Balancing on a Ball 22 Eros on a Snail 33 CHAPTER FOUR. The Folly of Carnival……………………………………………………… 39 Two Putti Eating Peas 39 Three Putti with Instruments of the Passion 46 The Importance of Carnival 54 CONCLUSION. The Necessity of the Mundus Inversus……………......................................... 60 APPENDIX ………………………………………………………………………………….… 64 LIST OF IMAGES……………………………………………………………………………… 65 IMAGES………………………………………………………………………………………... 67 Bibliography 90 2 Introduction The German Renaissance wood sculptor and engraver known as Master H.L. left behind only a small body of printed works from his career in the early sixteenth century, numbering some twenty-four engravings and seven woodcuts. Unfortunately, this modest oeuvre has so far received only the most cursory analysis from art historians, perhaps because of its scant size, or because a number of its prints might be dismissed as mere illustrations of traditional religious subjects, primarily scenes from the lives of Jesus and the saints. Four of his prints, however, which are the subject of this thesis, are not so easily relegated, and display his ability to work with previously established visual motifs while manipulating them idiosyncratically for his own purposes.
    [Show full text]
  • Medieval Islamic Architecture, Quasicrystals, and Penrose and Girih Tiles: Questions from the Classroom
    Medieval Islamic Architecture, Quasicrystals, and Penrose and Girih Tiles: Questions from the Classroom Raymond Tennant Professor of Mathematics Zayed University P.O. Box 4783 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates [email protected] Abstract Tiling Theory studies how one might cover the plane with various shapes. Medieval Islamic artisans developed intricate geometric tilings to decorate their mosques, mausoleums, and shrines. Some of these patterns, called girih tilings, first appeared in the 12th Century AD. Recent investigations show these medieval tilings contain symmetries similar to those found in aperiodic Penrose tilings first investigated in the West in the 1970’s. These intriguing discoveries may suggest that the mathematical understanding of these artisans was much deeper than originally thought. Connections like these, made across the centuries, provide a wonderful opportunity for students to discover the beauty of Islamic architecture in a mathematical and historical context. This paper describes several geometric constructions for Islamic tilings for use in the classroom along with projects involving girih tiles. Open questions, observations, and conjectures raised in seminars across the United Arab Emirates are described including what the medieval artisans may have known as well as how girih tiles might have been used as tools in the actual construction of intricate patterns. 1. Islamic Tilings and Traditional Strapwork The Islamic world has a rich heritage of incorporating geometry in the construction of intricate designs that appear on architecture and tile walkways as well as patterns on fabric, see [4]. This highly stylized form of art has evolved over the centuries from simple designs to fairly complex geometry involving a high degree of mathematical symmetry.
    [Show full text]
  • Thomas Del Mar Ltd in Association with Sotheby’S Antique Arms, Armour & Militaria London Wednesday 10Th December 2008
    Thomas Del Mar Ltd In association with Sotheby’s Antique Arms, Armour & Militaria London Wednesday 10th December 2008 Thomas Del Mar Ltd In association with Sotheby’s 25 Blythe Road London W14 0PD Tel: +44 (0) 207 602 4805 Fax: +44 (0) 207 602 5973 Email: [email protected] www.thomasdelmar.com AUCTION ENQUIRIES AND INFORMATION Sale Number: 007 Code name: Formosa Enquiries Catalogue Thomas Del Mar £15 plus postage Ian Eaves Clair Boluski George Duckett Thomas Del Mar Ltd 25 Blythe Road London W14 0PD Tel: +44 (0) 207 602 4805 Fax: +44 (0) 207 602 5973 Email: [email protected] Online Catalogue: www.thomasdelmar.com www.antiquestradegazette.com/thomasdelmar Thomas Del Mar Ltd gratefully acknowledges Peter Smith for his assistance in the preparation of this catalogue. Front cover: lot 233 Back cover: lot 155 Thomas Del Mar Ltd In association with ANTIQUE ARMS, ARMOUR & MILITARIA TO BE SOLD BY AUCTION AT Thomas Del Mar Ltd 25 Blythe Road London W14 0PD PUBLIC EXHIBITION Sunday 7th December 12 noon to 5pm Monday 8th December 10am to 8pm Tuesday 9th December 10am to 5pm DAY OF SALE Wednesday 10th December 2008 at 12 noon, precisely This auction is conducted by Thomas Del Mar Ltd in accordance with our Conditions of Business printed in the back of this catalogue. All questions and comments relating to the operation of this sale or to its contents should be addressed to Thomas Del Mar Ltd and NOT to Sotheby’s. view catalogue and contact us online at www.thomasdelmar.com www.antiquestradegazette/thomasdelmar.com i ii Important Information for Buyers All lots are offered subject to Thomas Del Mar Ltd’s Condition’s of Business and to reserves.
    [Show full text]