kunsttexte.de/ostblick 3/2016 - 1 A trin Dyb lla 4eo!g 5enc6, 2et$een 3u!embe!g, -! co$ nd ABnigsbe!g Since the Middle Ages, the mobility of rtists nd but there re documents concerning trial involving c! ftsmen had de"ended entirely on the f ct that, 5enc6. 4eorg 5enc6, $ho "rob bly c me from <est- fte! com"leting their t! ining, journeymen took to the heim 7ne ! Nuremberg9, bec me citizen of Nurem- !o d to bro den their kno$ledge. %uring these ye rs berg in 1523. =ust t$o ye rs later, in 1525, he nd his of t! vel they $ould collect m terial in the form of colle gues 2 rthel nd Seb ld 2eham $ere ex"elled co"ies nd models fo! their late! $ork.1 'o$ever, our from the free city. :he .three godless " inters/, s kno$ledge of most journeymen’s t! vels mounts to they $ere c lled in the ex mination t! nscripts, $ere nothing more than their mere existence. )nly in very ccused of m king common c use $ith the Ana- ! re c ses do $e kno$ more bout the individual b "tists. As " rt of the so-c lled 4ottlosenpro6ess, t! vels of rtisans, fo! inst nce if documents o! d! $- the three " inters $ere im"risoned in orde! to be ings have been "reserved. Albrecht %üre! is $ithout cross-ex mined bout their beliefs nd their ttitude doubt one of these ! re nd fortunate exce"tions, to$ rds the city council. :heir freethinking nd o"- since his writings and his contem"o! ries tell us about "osing st tements, $hich included .c nnot believe in his t! ining nd t! velling. +t is striking that the young the holy scripture, do not believe in the sac! ment of %üre! enunciated one destination in " rticula!, +n Col- the lt r, do not believe in b "tism/, nd theologic l m ! he intended to meet M rtin Schong ue! to le rn judgement the city council had re;uested from the from him.2 %ürer’s motivation to continue his t! ining Augustinians nd the "re chers of the churches of St. just $ith .hubsch M rtin”, s %üre! named him, is un- 4iles, St. Seb ld nd St. > $rence, led to their b n- surprising: From f mily of goldsmiths himself, M rtin ishment in spring 1525.4 :his verdict cle rly hurt the Schong ue! used his skills s goldsmith to crucially rtists, s they did everything $ithin their "o$e! to re- refine the rt of eng! ving1 nd moreover, he $ s lso turn to Nuremberg s soon s "ossible. Afte! seve! l f mous " inter. +t must have been the young nd "etitions nd recommend tions, one by Melchio! +. strong-minded Albrecht %ürer’s mbition to bring 5finzing, the forme! "ro&ost t St. Seb ld’s, $ s suc- both c! fts to "erfection just s M rtin Schong ue! cessful; the .three godless " inters” $ere llo$ed to had done before him. return in Novembe! 1525. No rchival documents on 2esides the #ourneym n having to t! vel, $hich 5enc6 are kno$n for the follo$ing ye rs. It is therefore had been t! ditional " rt of t! ining eve! since the ssumed that Penc6 f iled to secure commissions fol- Middle Ages, $hole ! nge of different motives led lo$ing the court c se, subse;uently t! velling to +t ly rtists to set out fo! foreign countries. Mostly it might for economic re sons. +t is believed that he spent time have been economic, "olitic l nd religious re sons, in Venice nd M ntua before returning to Nuremberg f mines, uprisings or even b nishments $hich c used to m rry the " inte! Michael 4! f’s d ughte! in 1529 them to le ve their home to$n.3 Seve! l of these s- t the latest.5 No documents exist $hich verify 5enc6( "ects ""ly to the Nuremberg eng! ve! nd " inte! st y in Nuremberg, nd no! is there ny evidence of 4eorg 5enc6 7c . 1500-1550), $hich + discuss in the trip to northern +t ly. <e do not even have single follo$ing. :he dditional ;uestion rises s to just rt$ork $hich c n be connected une;uivoc lly $ith ho$ mobile 5enc6 $ s himself, nd lso ho$ mobile st y beyond the Alps. 2y cont! st, the f mines his art$orks were. c used by cro" f ilures in the Veneto at the end of the +t is rem rk ble that his e rliest biog! "hic l re- 1520s, nd the "rec rious situation this triggered in cords do not include any notes about his artistic wo!k, Venice, ! the! indic te that 5enc6 did not st y in the A t!in %yb ll 4eo!g 5enc6, 2et$een 3urembe!g, -! co$ nd ABnigsbe!g kunsttexte.de/ostblick 3/2016 - 2 lagoon city fo! his o$n interests C especi lly $hen the $ork going on t < $el - stle.10 2 rtolomeo di Luc "lague broke out in summe! 1528.6 :he Signoria $ s 2erecci11 $ s commissioned to design the cha"el in keen to ex"el foreigners in orde! to safeguard sup- 1517. =ust one ye ! beforehand, it $ s "rob bly this "lies for residents nd to stem the plague. :herefore it very rtist $ho "resented model to Sigismund +, s seems much more likely that 5enc6 st yed in Nurem- the king himself re"orts to his im"erial vic ! = n berg nd did not c use sensation, $hich $ould ex- 2oner, Severin’s uncle, "lain his name’s bsence from the rchival docu- ments. .An +talian $as $ith us $ith model of ch "el, A"" rently only 5enc6 m naged to g in $hich he shall build for us, and $e felt "leased $ith foothold, s 2 rthel nd Seb ld 2eham left Nurem- it, in any case $e did it in such $ay that none of berg. 0 lling foul of the city council once more $ s the views $e understand ou!selves $ere changed. "rob bly the re son they left. +n such tense situ- <e even showed him how much of the tomb $e tion, the 2eham brothers might $ell have had "rob- $ant made f!om m !ble. Kou !e to ensu!e that as lems m king ends meet. Ultim tely, Seb ld 2eham much m !ble shall be b!ought for him f!om 'ungary moved to 0! nkfurt m M in. His younge! brothe! as $ill be necessary, as he told us that for such 2 rthel $ent to Munich in 1527, $here he bec me $ork this m !ble is much more favou!able than any court p inte! to Duke Lud$ig X on 10th M rch 1537.7 other and it is much easier to t!ansport the stones Ho$ever, follo$ing Albrecht %ürer’s de th 5enc6 f!om there. 'e told us that he needs eight more !ose to become Nuremberg’s le ding " inter. Accord- c!aftsmen to ca!ve the figu!es, and that once he has ing to document d ted 31st M rch 1532, 5enc6 them he could finish the ch "el $ithin th!ee-and-a- "laced himself nd ll his skills t the service of the half years LMN./12 city council.8 +n his function s n .Ehrb re! %iene!/9 7honourable se!& nt9, 5enc6 $ s $ithout doubt one of 2y round 1526, the +t lian Ienaissance-style cha"el very sm ll but "rivileged group of Nuremberg’s cit- $ s lre dy com"lete enough fo! $o!k to begin on its izens. 2eing n cce"ted nd ""reci ted rtist, it deco! tion, $hich involved c rving the sculptures nd $ s not necessary fo! Penc6 – unlike the 2ehams – to the reliefs. For this "roject, skilled It lian rtisans $ere le ve his home to$n. :his lso me nt financial secur- g in commissioned to $ork togethe! $ith 2erecci in ity, s 5enc6 received n income of 10 Ihenish guild- -! co$. :his sho$s that bove ll "ersonal net$orks ers t the beginning of his service1 this $ s late! in- nd specific jobs $ere often the re son fo! n rtist’s cre sed to 24 Ihenish guilders on 19th A"ril 1539. mobility.13 Afte! fe$ ye rs, in 1531, the fixed deco! - 5enc6 $ s lso " id se" ! tely fo! e ch of his $orks, tions $ere largely com"lete nd $ork could begin on nd he $ s even llo$ed to cce"t external commis- "lanning the mo& ble "ieces. 0o! this t sk, 4erm n sions "rovided they did not have n dverse effect on rtisans $ere hired inste d of +t lian ones. More spe- his wo!k for the city council. cific lly, the coordinators sought rtists f!om Nurem- A fe$ ye rs later, such situation c n be seen berg, $ho had sha"ed the rts in -! co$ nd Silesia $hen 4eorg 5enc6 nd othe! Nuremberg rtists re- up to the 16th century.14 +n this c se the Vische! $o!k- ceived very "rominent commission: :o deco! te the sho" delivered the bronze grille $hich se" ! ted the !oyal burial cha"el t the < $el hill in -! co$. :he burial cha"el from the nave. :he goldsmith Melchio! 5olish King Sigismund + 7reign 1506-1548) erected 2 ye! nd the " inte! Georg Penc6 – “4eorg 5inc6en- ne$ cha"el long the south side of the c thed! l.