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Summary/Zusammenfassung: The medieval rock crystal vessels produced in the empires of the Abbasid and Fatimid Caliphs are outstanding masterpieces of their age, comparable only to the hardstone carvings of imperial Rome. In the last 100... more
Summary/Zusammenfassung:
The medieval rock crystal vessels produced in the empires of the Abbasid and Fatimid Caliphs are outstanding masterpieces of their age, comparable only to the hardstone carvings of imperial Rome. In the last 100 years these objects were mostly seen as genuine works of Fatimid art. The aim of this book is to question this common attribution and to examine and differentiate the surviving material in a comparative iconographical and technical study.
As a result these rock crystal carvings appear not longer as an isolated phenomenon within medieval Islamic art, but as part of a longstanding tradition, reaching back to the empires of the Byzantines, Sasanians and Romans. Furthermore the book discusses the history of the rock crystal objects, from their production in the medieval Islamic empires to their arrival, re-use and reinterpretation in European church treasuries.


Die mittelalterlichen Bergkristallgefäße aus den islamischen Reichen der Abbasiden und Fatimiden sind herausragende Meisterwerke ihrer Epoche, einzig vergleichbar mit den Steinschneidearbeiten der römischen Kaiserzeit. Die Forschung betrachtete die Objektgruppe bislang weitgehend pauschal als Produkt der fatimidischen Kunst. Der vorliegende Band hinterfragt diese mehr als 100 Jahre alte Zuschreibung kritisch und differenziert das erhaltene Material in einer vergleichenden ikonografischen und technischen Studie.
Im Ergebnis stellt sich der Bergkristallschnitt nicht mehr als isoliertes Phänomen der islamischen Kunst des Mittelalters dar, sondern erweist sich als Teil einer dichten technischen Überlieferungstradition, die über das byzantinische und das sasanidische Reich bis in die Antike zurückreicht. Zugleich wird der Weg der Bergkristallobjekte von ihrer Entstehung in der islamischen Welt bis in die europäischen Kirchenschätze nachgezeichnet, in denen sie vielfach bis heute verwahrt werden.
Summary/Zusammenfassung: „Gold und Damaszenerstahl“ präsentiert in einem reich illustrierten Band weitgehend unpublizierte Meisterwerke der osmanischen Klingenproduktion des 16. bis 19. Jahrhunderts. Häufig mit filigranem Eisenschnitt... more
Summary/Zusammenfassung:
„Gold und Damaszenerstahl“ präsentiert in einem reich illustrierten Band weitgehend unpublizierte Meisterwerke der osmanischen Klingenproduktion des 16. bis 19. Jahrhunderts. Häufig mit filigranem Eisenschnitt und üppigen Goldeinlagen verziert, waren diese Säbel keine Waffen im eigentlichen Sinn, sie waren Statussymbole einer reichen Elite. Anhand dieser Objekte bietet der Katalog einen Überblick über die Entstehung und Entwicklung des osmanischen Säbels. Ein weiterer Abschnitt ist Jataganen und Dolchen gewidmet.
Begleitende Aufsätze bieten eine Einführung in die Geschichte des Osmanischen Reiches, des Dekors der dort entstandenen Waffen sowie in die beiden grundlegenden handwerklichen Künste ihrer Fertigung und Verzierung: des Damaststahls und der Tauschierung.


“Gold and Damascus Steel” presents largely unpublished masterpieces of Ottoman blade production from the 16th to 19th centuries in a richly illustrated volume. Often decorated with delicate iron cutting and lavish gold inlays, these sabers were not weapons in the strictest sense but status symbols of a wealthy elite. Using these objects, the catalogue offers an overview of the origins and development of the Ottoman saber. Another section is devoted to jatagans and daggers.
Accompanying essays offer an introduction to the history of the Ottoman Empire, the decoration of the weapons created there, and into the two fundamental crafts of their production and decoration: watered steel and damascening.
Summary/Zusammenfassung: One of the most extraordinary pieces of the historical arms and armour collection at Veste Coburg is undoubtedly a fully functional field armor with a hight of only 100 cm. Given its high quality and detailed... more
Summary/Zusammenfassung:
One of the most extraordinary pieces of the historical arms and armour collection at Veste Coburg is undoubtedly a fully functional field armor with a hight of only 100 cm. Given its high quality and detailed work, it was certainly not significantly cheaper than a comparable example of normal size. As with these, the armor can be converted into a half armor by removing the lower leg parts, giving the wearer greater freedom of movement. The armor suggests, down to the last detail, a practical use that hardly ever took place. Based on stylistic features, the piece can be dated to the late 16th century and is most likely identical to a suit of armor mentioned in 1601 that was made for “Ruppert” or “Rupprecht”, a man of short stature at the court of Duke Johann Casimir of Saxe-Coburg (1564-1633). This armor was examined in detail for the first time, while at the same time, the archival sources on “court dwarves” in Coburg were researched. The article now presents the results of these investigations.

Eines der außergewöhnlichsten Stücke der historischen Waffensammlung auf der Veste Coburg ist zweifellos ein nur ca. 100 cm großer, voll funktionsfähiger Feldharnisch. In seiner hohen Qualität und Kleinteiligkeit war er sicher nicht wesentlich preisgünstiger als ein vergleichbares Exemplar in gewöhnlicher Größe. Ebenso wie bei diesen, kann der Harnisch durch Abnahme der Unterbeinzeuge in einen Halbharnisch verwandelt werden, der dem Träger größere Bewegungsfreiheit gab. Die Rüstung suggeriert somit bis ins Detail eine praktische Nutzung, die so wohl kaum stattfand. Aufgrund stilistischer Merkmale lässt sich das Stück auf das späte 16. Jahrhundert datieren und ist höchstwahrscheinlich mit einer 1601 genannten Rüstung identisch, die für „Ruppert“ oder „Rupprecht“, einen kleinwüchsigen am Hof Herzog Johann Casimirs von Sachsen-Coburg (1564-1633) gefertigt wurde. Dieser Harnisch wurde nur erstmals eingehend untersucht und parallel dazu die archivalischen Quellen zu „Hofzwergen“ in Coburg erforscht. Der Aufsatz präsentiert nun die Ergebnisse dieser Untersuchungen.
Summary/Zusammenfassung: The impressive armour-holdings of Coburg Castle appear at a closer look as a quite inconsistent collection. This situation is the result of a tumultuous history, which started under duke Johann Casimir of... more
Summary/Zusammenfassung:
The impressive armour-holdings of Coburg Castle appear at a closer look as a quite inconsistent collection. This situation is the result of a tumultuous history, which started under duke Johann Casimir of Saxe-Coburg. Married to Anna, daughter of the Saxon prince-elector August, the duke tried to establish a court following the model of Dresden. Essential in this projects was the staging of tournaments, which saw their last climax in the late 16th century.
The paper examins the collection at Coburg for the first time in context of the widely overseen tournament-practice at the court of Johann Casimir. The importance of this tradition is clearly illustrated by the continuous growth of the ducal armour-collection in the late 16th and early 17th century. Analyzing the yet unpublished inventories, the paper traces the development and presentation of this princely collection, its looting during the Thirty Years' War and its remains in todays museum holdings. [correction: the dating of ill. 9-11 is "around 1610/15" and of ill. 12 "late 16th century"]

[Korrektur: die Datierung zu Abb. 9-11 lautet "um 1610/15" sowie zu Abb. 12 "spätes 16. Jahrhundert"] Die eindrucksvolle Harnischsammlung in den Kunstsammlungen der Veste Coburg stellt sich heute als äußerst uneinheitlicher Bestand dar. Diese Situation ist das Ergebnis einer wechselvollen Geschichte, die unter der Regierung Herzog Johann Casimirs ihren Anfang nahm. Verheiratet mit Anna, der Tochter des sächsischen Kurfürsten, war der Herzog bestrebt, in Coburg eine Hofhaltung nach Dresdner Vorbild aufzubauen. Unabdingbarer Bestandteil dieses Vorhabens war die Abhaltung von Turnieren, die im späten 16. Jahrhundert eine letzte Blüte erlebten.
Der Aufsatz betrachtet den Coburger Harnischbestand erstmals im Rahmen der bisher weitgehend unbeachteten Turnierpflege am Hof Johann Casimirs. Deren Bedeutung wird vom kontinuierlichen Wachstum der Harnischkammer im späten 16. und frühen 17. Jahrhundert anschaulich illustriert. In Auswertung der bislang unpublizierten zeitgenössischen Inventare erschließt der Beitrag die Entwicklung und Präsentation dieser fürstlichen Sammlung, ihre Plünderung im dreißigjährigen Krieg sowie ihre Überbleibsel im heutigen Museumsbestand.
Summary/Zusammenfassung: This paper presents the case study of three rock crystal flasks, preserved in church treasuries at Cologne. In the shape of a lion, a fish and a so-called "molar" flask, they represent three formal types that... more
Summary/Zusammenfassung:
This paper presents the case study of three rock crystal flasks, preserved in church treasuries at Cologne. In the shape of a lion, a fish and a so-called "molar" flask, they represent three formal types that lack almost all further decoration. For more than a century they were nevertheless categorized as part of the Fatimid rock crystal production. This assumption cannot sustain a critical review. While the appearance of certain motives on the lion links it infact to the Abbasid tradition of crystal-carving, neither the fish nor the molar flask can be assigned to a specific place of production. The latter type of vessel is common as a glass-object throughout most of the early Islamic regions, so its version in rock crystal could have been carved in varius places. This is even more the case as its technical execution is not very complex. The design of the fish-shaped vessel lacks any closer comparative material from Islamic sites, while Roman and Byzantine art offers much more related objects with a longstanding tradition of fish-shaped amulets carved in rock crystal.

Der vorliegende Aufsatz widmet sich drei Bergkristall-Fläschchen aus Kölner Kirchenschätzen. Mit ihrer Gestalt in Form eines Löwen, eines Fischs und eines sogenannten "Zahnfläschchens" repräsentieren sie drei formale Typen, die nahezu keinen weiteren Dekor aufweisen. Für mehr als ein Jahrhundert wurden sie dennoch der fatimidischen Bergkristallproduktion zugeordnet. Diese Zuweisung kann einer kritischen Überprüfung jedoch nicht standhalten. Während einzelne Schmuckmotive für den Löwen eine Anbindung an den abbasidischen Steinschnitt nahelegen, kann für die beiden übrigen Stücke keine präzisere Lokalisierung erfolgen. Das "Zahnfläschchen" entspricht einem Gefäßtypus, der in Glas an beinahe allen frühislamischen Fundstätten vorkommt. Das Bergkristallobjekt könnte also an einer Vielzahl von Orten hergestellt worden sein, zumal es sich dabei um keine besonders anspruchsvolle Steinschneidearbeit handelt. Die Gestaltung des fischförmigen Fläschchens findet in der islamischen Kunst des Mittelalters keine Parallelen, während eine Anbindung an die römisch-byzantinische Kunst naheliegt, wo fischförmige Bergkristall-Amulette weit verbreitet waren.
Summary/Zusammenfassung: The arms and armour collection of Coburg Castle holds a historic collection of objects from the Ottoman empire, labelled since the 19th century as spoils of war of prince Frederic Josias of... more
Summary/Zusammenfassung:

The arms and armour collection of Coburg Castle holds a historic collection of objects from the Ottoman empire, labelled since the 19th century as spoils of war of prince Frederic Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1737-1815). A close examination of the pieces tells a much more complex story. Several pieces date from the 17th century, recalling the long history of conflict, but also European fascination with the Ottoman Empire and its artistic production. In Coburg, the inheritance of Duke Albrecht III (1648-1699) is the earliest evidence for the presence of “Turkish things” in the Ducal collections. But other members of the Ducal house of Coburg took part in the “Turkish Wars” as well, contributing to the collection on Coburg Castle.

Die Waffensammlung auf der Veste Coburg bewahrt einen historischen Bestand von Objekten aus dem osmanischen Reich, der seit dem 19. Jahrhundert als Beute des Prinzen Friedrich Josias (1737-1815) angesehen wurde. Tatsächlich stellt sich der Bestand bei näherer Untersuchung jedoch als wesentlich komplexer dar. Zahlreiche Stücke aus dem 17. Jahrhundert verweisen auf die lange Geschichte des Konfliktes, aber auch der europäischen Faszination für das osmanische Reich. In Coburg bildet der Nachlass Albrecht III. (1648-1699) eine der frühesten Quellen für die Präsenz „türckischer Sachen“ in den herzoglichen Sammlungen. Aber auch andere Mitglieder des Coburger Herzogshauses waren an den sogenannten „Türkenkriegen“ und wohl auch an der Entstehung der Sammlung auf der Veste beteiligt.
Summary/Zusammenfassung: Today the paintings gallery of the Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum is dominated by classicist picture frames of the 19th century. This situation is the result of the most dramatic event in the collections history:... more
Summary/Zusammenfassung:

Today the paintings gallery of the Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum is dominated by classicist picture frames of the 19th century. This situation is the result of the most dramatic event in the collections history: during the last days of 1806 Dominique-Vivant Denon (1747-1825), director of the Musée Napoleon, todays Louvre, arrived in Braunschweig and confiscated the most prominent parts of the ducal collections for his museum. During the following years the original site of the paintings collection at Saldahlum palace was abandoned and eventually torn down in 1811/12. At the latest since the return of the looted works from Paris in 1816 the entire collection was step by step reframed in almost standardized frames in contemporary fashion. Just a small number of paintings were left in their baroque frames.
The article analyses the written sources in the museum´s archives as well as the objects themselves to explore the circumstances and the complex history of that process.

Die Gemäldegalerie des Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museums wird heute von klassizistischen Hohlkehlenrahmen des 19. Jahrhunderts dominiert. Dieses prägende Bild ist das Ergebnis des einschneidendsten Kapitels der Sammlungsgeschichte: über den Jahreswechsel 1806/07 hielt sich Dominique-Vivant Denon (1747-1825), Direktor des Musée Napoleon, des heutigen Louvre, in Braunschweig auf und beschlagnahmte einen bedeutenden Teil der herzoglichen Sammlungen für sein Pariser Museum. In der Folge wurde der angestammte Aufbewahrungsort der Gemälde in Salzdahlum aufgegeben und die dortige Schlossanlage 1811/12 vollständig zerstört. Spätestens mit der Rückkehr der geraubten Gemälde 1816 kam es in mehreren Kampagnen zur einer vereinheitlichenden Neurahmung des Bestandes. Demgegenüber konnten nur relativ wenige Werke ihre barocke Rahmung bewahren.
Der Artikel untersucht sowohl das Quellenmaterial im Archiv des Museums, als auch die Objekte selbst, um so die Begleitumstände und die komplexe Geschichte dieses Prozesses zu erschließen.
For more than a century, Islamic rock crystal carving has been seen as a purely Fatimid tradition. This assumption was the result of a research history that suffered widely from the inaccessibility of its material. Scattered... more
For more than a century, Islamic rock crystal carving has been seen as a purely Fatimid tradition. This assumption was  the  result  of  a  research  history  that  suffered  widely  from the inaccessibility of its material. Scattered over often remote church treasuries and collections all over Europe, many  of  the  surviving  objects  were  poorly  documented  and some are, even today, not properly photographed. They are  in  many  cases  heavily  damaged,  reworked,  and  covered by mountings. Often only identifiable by the trained eye, many pieces might actually still be waiting for rediscovery. For these reasons, research has mostly focused on a fraction of the surviving objects. A more comprehensive survey  of  the  material,  undertaken  by  the  author  within  the framework of a doctorate since 2013, has widened the scope  of  comparative  material  and  opened  up  new  perspectives and interconnections between the diverse types of objects and designs. Stylistic as well as technical comparison allowed for the distinguishing of individual groups of closely related objects and for the differentiation of those groups from each other. The approach of trying to reconstruct the history of Islamic rock crystal carving through the  comparison of the few written sources with  the  surviving  rock  crystal  pieces  and  early  Islamic  glass  has  proved  to  be  useful  for  establishing  a  chronology  of  the  material. The results of this study, which can only be outlined here, confirm the assumption made in 1936 by Ernst Kühnel, one of the important early scholars on this field. Kühnel, after reading the first translation of  al-Bīrūnī’s  description  of  the  extensive  Abbasid  rock  crystal industry, concluded that some vessels might be of Fatimid origin while the majority of the surviving pieces were surely made in Abbasid Basra.
Summary/Zusammenfassung: The paintings gallery of the Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum holds one of the great princely collections in Germany. Its core consists in the acquisitions of Duke Anton Ulrich of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in the late... more
Summary/Zusammenfassung:

The paintings gallery of the Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum holds one of the great princely collections in Germany. Its core consists in the acquisitions of Duke Anton Ulrich of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel in the late 17th and early 18th century. To house these paintings, the Duke ordered one of the first independent gallery-buildings in Europe to be erected as part of his palace Salzdahlum. But the current frames of the paintings rarely provide evidence of this long history of the collection. They are furthermore dominated by classicist picture frames of the 19th century. Just a small number of paintings still remains in their baroque frames, many stored in the museums depository. Those examples are today valuable sources for the otherwise not documented framings at the lost gallery of Salzdahlum palace. The surviving baroque frames encompass examples in which the paintings were originally acquired as well as products of local workshops, adapting and interpreting various stylistic influences.
Furthermore the observations for Braunschweig get contextualized in the wider development of gallery-framings throughout the 18th century.

Die Gemäldegalerie des Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museums zeigt eine der bedeutenden fürstlichen Sammlungen Deutschlands. Ihr Kernbestand geht auf die Erwerbungen Herzog Anton Ulrichs von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel im späten 17. und frühen 18. Jahrhundert zurück. Um seine Sammlung zu präsentieren, ließ der Herzog eines der ersten freistehenden Galeriegebäude Europas an seinem Schloss Salzdahlum errichten. Die gegenwärtigen Rahmungen der Gemälde geben jedoch nur wenige Hinweise auf diese lange Geschichte der Sammlung. Sie werden vielmehr von klassizistischen Rahmen des 19. Jahrhunderts dominiert. Nur eine relativ kleine Zahl von Bildern trägt noch ihre barocken Rahmen, viele von Ihnen verwahrt in den Depots des Museums. Diese Beispiele bilden heute wertvolle Quellen für die sonst nicht dokumentierten Rahmungen der Salzdahlumer Galerie. Der erhaltene Bestand reicht dabei von „Originalrahmen“, die wohl bereits mit den Gemälden erworben wurden, bis hin zu Produkten lokaler Werkstätten, die unterschiedlichste Einflüsse aufnahmen und neu interpretierten.
Darüber hinaus werden die Beobachtungen zur Braunschweiger Sammlung in den weiteren Kontext der Entwicklung der Galerierahmung im 18. Jahrhundert eingebunden.
Summary/Zusammenfassung: This paper aims to explore a group of Ottoman objects, often referred to as spoils of the Great Turkish War of the late 17th century, captured by Bavarian prince elector Max Emanuel. A closer examination of... more
Summary/Zusammenfassung:


This paper aims to explore a group of Ottoman objects, often referred to as spoils of the Great Turkish War of the late 17th  century, captured by Bavarian prince elector Max Emanuel. A closer examination of those pieces and their history reveals not only the importance of such objects as princely and imperial gifts, it also emphasizes the lack of valid written sources about their provenance. Tracing those pieces through the various Museums and exhibition contexts since the early and mid 19th century reveals the artificiality of the common attribution, deriving in many cases from patriotic and national views of history.
Based on a group of Ottoman bridles and further riding equipment, the paper further tries to reconstruct the initial sets of horse trappings, which were mostly  dispersed during the increasing specialization of museal collections. Several objects, as reliquaries or ecclesiastic vestments, document the impact of such exotic materials on European craftsmen, either by adapting their iconography or by integrating actual pieces.
For some objects such evidence dates back till the early 17th century, two generations prior to Max Emanuel. This earlier interest, especially in oriental as well as orientalizing materials is furthermore documented by a lavishly decorated set of horse trappings with matching arms, all covered with fittings of gilt and enameled silver filigree. Due to a comparable set in Dresden those pieces can be attributed to a workshop close to the Rudolphinian court in Prague.
Summary/Zusammenfassung: Topic of the article is a lost Ottoman Banner, which was on display at the cathedral of Munich till the eve of Second World War. Captured in 1688 during the Great Turkish War by the Bavarian prince elector... more
Summary/Zusammenfassung:


Topic of the article is a lost Ottoman Banner, which was on display at the cathedral of Munich till the eve of Second World War. Captured in 1688 during the Great Turkish War by the Bavarian prince elector Max Emanuel, it was given to the church as a votive offering. The piece is documented in a lithography made in 1839. A close analysis of the banner reveals a number of outstanding details which allow to reconstruct the history and pupose of the object. Its iconography is heavily influenced by the religious ideas of the Sufi-order of the Bektashi, which were closely connected to the elite corpse of the Janissaries.
Furthermore the article highlights the later interpetations and instrumentalisations of that object during the counter reformation as well as during the Greek war of independence in the first decades of the 19th century.


Der Artikel hat eine heute verlorene osmanische Fahne zum Thema. Durch den bayerischen Kurfürsten Max Emanuel 1688 in Belgrad erbeutet, wurde das kostbare Seidenbanner wenig später, gleichermaßen als Trophäe wie als Votivgabe, in der Münchner Liebfrauenkirche aufgehängt. An seinem historischen Platz an einem der Mittelschiffpfeiler verblieb es trotz aller Umgestaltungen des Kirchenraumes bis in die erste Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts. Die Ikonografie des Banners lässt sich über eine Lithografie aus dem Jahre 1839 präzise rekonstruieren. Von anderen vergleichbaren osmanischen Fahnen unterscheidet sich die hier vorgestellte durch eine Reihe von Merkmalen. Zum Einen ist dies die Datierung auf 1073 AH (1662/63) in der Inschrift des Saumes, zum Anderen mehrere ungewöhnliche Nennungen im kalligrafischen Dekor. Mit ihren explizit schiitischen Bezügen, verweist sie auf die Janitscharen und den eng mit diesen verbundenen Sufiorden der Bektaschi. Diese Verbindungen ermöglichen einen Deutungsversuch, der auch eine neues Licht auf eine ganze Reihe ähnlicher Fahnen wirft. Daneben wird die wechselhafte ideologische Instrumentalisierung der Trophäe von der Gegenreformation bis zum griechischen Unabhängigkeitskrieg beleuchtet.
Summary/Zusammenfassung: The catalogue gathers an outstanding group of Islamic rock crystal carvings, representing different stages of the development of this industry from Abbasid to Fatimid times. The objects presented are a gaming... more
Summary/Zusammenfassung: The catalogue gathers an outstanding group of Islamic rock crystal carvings, representing different stages of the development of this industry from Abbasid to Fatimid times. The objects presented are a gaming piece, mounted on a reliquary from Hildesheim, a selection of chess men from Osnabrück, the two rock crystal vessels from the pulpit of Henry II in Aachen, two vessels from the cathedral treasury of Capua and the magnificient ewer of Caliph al-Aziz from the treasury of San Marco in Venice. These objects are flanked by a manuscript of al-Maqrizis description of the looting of the Fatimid treasury in 1067/68 from Gotha.

Der Katalog versammelt eine herausragende Gruppe islamischer Bergkristallschnitte, die unterschiedliche Entwicklungsstufen dieses Handwerks aus abbasidischer und fatimidischer Zeit repräsentieren. Die vorgestellten Objekte umfassen eine auf einem Reliquiar montierte Schachfigur aus Hildesheim, eine Auswahl von Schachfiguren aus Osnabrück, die beiden Bergkristallobjekte vom Ambo Heichrich II. in Aachen, zwei Gefäße aus dem Domschatz von Capua und den Krug des al-Aziz aus dem Schatz von San Marco in Venedig. Außerdem wird ein Manuskript von al-Maqrizis Beschreibung der Plünderung der Fatimiden-Schätze (1067/68) aus Gotha präsentiert.
The exhibition "Dressed for Success" is built around the fashion diary of Matthäus Schwarz (1497-1574), head accountant of the immensely rich and influential Fugger company, headed by Jacob Fugger and later on his nephew Anton. From 1520... more
The exhibition "Dressed for Success" is built around the fashion diary of Matthäus Schwarz (1497-1574), head accountant of the immensely rich and influential Fugger company, headed by Jacob Fugger and later on his nephew Anton. From 1520 on Matthäus Schwarz had himself painted in the representative dresses designed for various occasions from weddings to imperial diets. Over the course of 40 years the "klaidungsbuechlin" (book of clothes) documents more than 130 different outfits, forming a uniquely detailed source for the history and development of fashion in the 16th century.
The catalogue presents and contextualises the klaidungsbuechlin in its period. Following the timeline of the precisely dated images, it guides through a vivid period of early world trade and reformation and follows Matthäus Schwarz on his education and business journeys. In the period, fashion was a central tool to document and promote social status and ambitions and Schwarz used this tool carefully, finally being knighted by Ferdinand I. in 1541.
The catalogue presents a wide range of objects with numerous loans from collections all over Europe. It encompasses paintings by Hans Holbein the Elder and Christoph Amberger, woodcuts and engravings by Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach or Jörd Breu as well as Medals by Hans Schwarz and Friedrich Hagenauer. Futhermore it features prominent examples of arms and armour, goldsmiths work, woodcarving, majolica and textiles from the 16th century.
-cat. no. 12: sundial with map, attributed to Erhard Etzlaub, Nuremberg 1511, boxwood
-cat. no. 29: standing cup and cover (possibly made in Augsburg), 1480-1499, Silver-gilt and enamel
-cat. no. 31: relief depicting Jacob Fugger and the allegory of wealth, Sebastian Loscher, Augsburg before 1525, limewood
-cat. no. 35: medal of Jacob Fugger, Hans Schwarz, Augsburg 1518, bronce
-cat. no. 36: commemorative coin of Jacob Fugger, after Hans Schwarz, Augsburg 1518, silver
-cat. no. 38: portrait of Martin Luther, Lucas Cranach, Wittenberg 1521, engraving
-cat. no. 40: portrait of Charles V, Daniel Hopfer, Augsburg 1518, etching
-cat. no. 58: four gaming pieces with portraits, Augsburg around 1535, boxwood
-cat. no. 60: gaming piece with the portraits of Jacob and Ulrich or Anton Fugger, Augsburg around 1525-1530, fruitwood
-cat. no. 67: glass cup with the coat of arms of Fugger-Thurzo, Venice arounf 1520-1530, glass with enamel and gilding
-cat. no. 69: enamelled cup with the coat of arms of Ulstett and Haug, Tuscany around 1550, copper with enamel and gilding
-cat. no. 71: lute, Italy around 1600, wood, ivory and ebony
-cat. no. 79: entrance of Charles V in Augsburg, Jörg Breu the elder, Augsburg around 1530, series of 10 engravings
-cat. no. 81: portraits of Charles V and Ferdinand I, Barthel Beham, 1531, engraving
-cat. no. 82: delivery of the Augsburg Confession in 1530, Paul Fürst, Nuremberg 1655, engraving
-cat. no. 84: Book of the Good and Evil Fortune, Francesco Petraca, printed in Augsburg 1532
-cat. no. 94: medal on the battle at Mühlberg, Nickel Milicz, 1547, silver
-cat. no. 96: relief with the subservience of the protestant cities 1547, Nürnberg around 1570-1580
-cat. no. 99: standing cup and cover on the annulment of the Augsburg Interim, Jochim Worm, Lüneburg around 1552/53, silver gilt
The catalogue presents a selection of new acquisitions made by the Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum between 1990 and 2018. It encompasses a wide range of objects from paintings and prints to decorative arts. -Cat. No. 12, p. 43: Carlo Bononi... more
The catalogue presents a selection of new acquisitions made by the Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum between 1990 and 2018. It encompasses a wide range of objects from paintings and prints to decorative arts.
-Cat. No. 12, p. 43: Carlo Bononi (1569-1632), "Saint Laurentius and Mary Magdalene", oil on canvas.
-Cat. No. 13, p. 45: Rock Crystal Cross from Weingarten Abbey, late 13th/early 14th century, rock crystal, iron, painted parchment, gilt brass
-Cat. No. 45, p. 69: Pascha Johann Friedrich Weitsch (1723-1803), "View of the Brocken" and parts of a porcellain service with landscapes from the duchy of Brunswick
-Cat. No. 46, p. 71: Carl Rottmann (1797-1850), "Athens from the East", water color on paper
-Cat. No. 170, p. 123: Tazza with the alliance coat of arms of the Augsburg families Ulstett and Haug, enamel on copper
Research Interests:
Die Harnischsammlung in den Kunstsammlungen der Veste Coburg stellt sich heute als äußerst uneinheitlicher Bestand dar. Diese Situation ist das Ergebnis einer wechselvollen Geschichte, die unter der Regierung Herzog Johann Casimirs ihren... more
Die Harnischsammlung in den Kunstsammlungen der Veste Coburg stellt sich heute als äußerst uneinheitlicher Bestand dar. Diese Situation ist das Ergebnis einer wechselvollen Geschichte, die  unter der Regierung Herzog Johann Casimirs ihren Anfang nahm. Verheiratet mit Anna, der Tochter des sächsischen Kurfürsten, war der Herzog bestrebt, in Coburg eine Hofhaltung nach Dresdner Vorbild aufzubauen. Unabdingbarer Bestandteil dieses Vorhabens war die Abhaltung von Turnieren, die im späten 16. Jahrhundert eine letzte Blüte erlebten. Der Vortrag betrachtet den Coburger Harnischbestand erstmals im Rahmen der bisher unbeachteten Turnierpflege am Hof Johann Casimirs. Deren Bedeutung wird vom kontinuierlichen Wachstum der Harnischkammer anschaulich illustriert. Die Auswertung der bislang unpublizierten zeitgenössischen Inventare erschließt die Entwicklung und Präsentation dieser fürstlichen Sammlung, ihre Plünderung im dreißigjährigen Krieg sowie ihre Überbleibsel im heutigen Museumsbestand.
The paper considers the findings of recent research on an Ottoman tent, preserved in the art collections of Coburg Castle (Kunstsammlungen der Veste Coburg). Acquired in 1957 from the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, it was traditionally... more
The paper considers the findings of recent research on an Ottoman tent, preserved in the art collections of Coburg Castle (Kunstsammlungen der Veste Coburg). Acquired in 1957 from the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, it was traditionally assumed to have been taken as war booty by Field Marshal Prince Friedrich Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (1737–1815). “Prince Coburg” as he was widely known in his times, fought alongside Russian troops under General Suvorov in the Russo-Turkish-Austrian War of 1788/89. He won two major victories in the battles of Focsani and Rymnik. As the tent bears the hallmarks of 17th-century craftsmanship it is very unlikely to have been captured by Friedrich Josias.

After more than fifty years in storage, we plan to feature the tent in the redesigned permanent exhibition at Coburg Castle. For this project, for the first time in its history, the tent was the subject of thorough research in terms of its material structure and condition as well as in its complex history.

The presence of an Ottoman tent in Gotha can be traced back to 1686, three years after troops from the Duchy took part in the liberation of Vienna. This makes it very likely that its arrival at Coburg was connected to these events. In 1707 the tent was joined by a second one from the inheritance of Prince Johann Wilhelm of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1677–1707), described by contemporaries in almost identical terms. As an inventory states in 1713, the tent was used by Johann Wilhelm as his “Leibzelt“, or personal tent, during the siege of Toulon. While he might have initially captured the tent in battle, he seems to have continued using it during his subsequent campaigns, a fact that provides insights regarding the ongoing use of such objects in the hands of their new owners.

Being in a rather poor condition at the time of its acquisition, the tent was first restored in 1958 in a quite sensitive way, preserving as much as possible of the original material. The central aim of the coming restoration campaign will be the further conservation of the object as well as the development of an optimal technical solution to set the tent up in one of the permanent galleries.
The Medieval Islamic rock crystal industry is often seen as a synonym for the highly sophisticated artistic production of the Fatimid period. This results from the exclusive attribution of these objects to Fatimid Cairo, an attribution... more
The Medieval Islamic rock crystal industry is often seen as a synonym for the highly sophisticated artistic production of the Fatimid period. This results from the exclusive attribution of these objects to Fatimid Cairo, an attribution repeated in most publications for the last one hundred years. But the Medieval sources appear to contradict this assumption as they are silent about any developed industry such as one would expect as the source of such masterpieces. This is even more surprising, considering the staggering amounts of pieces mentioned in the context of the looting of the Fatimid treasury in the mid-11th century. Therefore the written sources as well as the rock crystal objects themselves deserve reconsideration.
The absolute masterpieces of the medieval Islamic production are seven surviving ewers and about ten more thin-walled vessels. In their astonishing variety of designs and motives, they tell a far more complex story, reaching far beyond the Fatimid period to which they were all assigned at a point. The paper analyses these pieces as keys for the understanding of their history and technical as well as iconographical development.
Topic of this talk are the Islamic banners preserved in the church of St. Stephen of the Knights (Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri) in Pisa. Mostly referred to as "Ottoman", they are infact mostly spoils of the naval fights between the Knights... more
Topic of this talk are the Islamic banners preserved in the church of St. Stephen of the Knights (Santo Stefano dei Cavalieri) in Pisa. Mostly referred to as "Ottoman", they are infact mostly spoils of the naval fights between the Knights of Saint Stephen and North African Corsairs who threatened the Italian coasts, especially in the 16th and 17th century. Captured in war, the banners were later often used to celebrate the naval power of the Medici Grand Dukes. The church itself, which housed at times more than 400 such flags became soon a famous sight for travelers. With the decay of the knights in the 18th century the church and its treasures sell into oblivion before they were re-discovered in the mid 19th century by the Irish aristocrat Sarah Butler Staunton Handcock. In the second half of the century the collection saw various campaigns of cleanings and repairs which often strongly altered the pieces.
The talk looks into the complex history of the collection and the different types of banners represented in it. Consisting mainly of naval banners, the holdings of the church of Saint Stephen form an unique and highly important collection to complement the various Ottoman land-banners in various international Museums.
The medieval Islamic rock crystal objects, which are today preserved in museums and church treasuries around Europe, are documents of the lively cultural exchange between East and West. Not only the objects themselves traveled from the... more
The medieval Islamic rock crystal objects, which are today preserved in museums and church treasuries around Europe, are documents of the lively cultural exchange between East and West.
Not only the objects themselves traveled from the Islamic East to Europe. One of the most interesting facets of this subject is the potential influence of the highly sophisticated Islamic stone cutting techniques on medieval European stone cutting. The golden age of Islamic rock crystal manufacture ended abruptly with the decline of the Fatimids. Soon after, rock crystal carvings of exceptional quality began to appear in Sicily and, slightly later, in other parts of Europe. This suggests that the knowledge of Islamic artisans may have migrated across the Mediterranean at this time. As part of my ongoing doctoral research, I would like to present a number of objects whose commonly assumed origins must be reconsidered.
Von der Forschung bislang weitgehend übersehen, hat sich im Bamberger Domschatz eine kleine Gruppe von drei mittelalterlichen Bergkristallarbeiten erhalten. Gemäß der 1910 durch Ernst Kühnel erfolgten Zuschreibung all dieser Objekte an... more
Von der Forschung bislang weitgehend übersehen, hat sich im Bamberger Domschatz eine kleine Gruppe von drei mittelalterlichen Bergkristallarbeiten erhalten. Gemäß der 1910 durch Ernst Kühnel erfolgten Zuschreibung all dieser Objekte an das fatimidische Ägypten zwischen 970 und 1170, werden auch diese Stück noch immer als „fatimidisch“ angesprochen. Einer eingehenderen Untersuchung kann diese absolute Einordnung jedoch kaum standhalten, da sie zum einen auf nur drei inschriftlich datierbaren Objekten basiert und zum anderen bereits in den 1930er Jahren durch wieder erschlossene arabische Quellen des Mittelalters zumindest in Frage gestellt wurde.
Einen wesentlichen Hinweis auf einen deutlich früheren Entstehungskontext zahlreicher orientalischer Bergkristallarbeiten bildet zudem ein Bestand von Werken, für den eine Verbindung zu den Ottonen äußerst wahrscheinlich erscheint. Die prominentesten Beispiele dieser Gruppe finden sich dabei am Ambo Heinrichs II. in Aachen. Eine jüngst erfolgte, detaillierte Untersuchung dieser beiden Arbeiten erbrachte deutliche Unterschiede sowohl in stilistischer als auch technischer Hinsicht gegenüber jenen Stücken, die gesichert in fatimidischen Werkstätten entstanden. Hingegen konzentriert sich eine bemerkenswerte Anzahl weiterer, den Aachener Beispielen eng verwandter Stücke gerade an jenen Orten, die unter den Ottonen in herausragender Weise gefördert wurden. Zu nennen wären hier besonders Quedlinburg, Essen und Bad Gandersheim. Geschaffen im islamischen Orient, lange bevor man in Westeuropa zu ähnlichen technischen Leistungen in der Lage war, stellten sie hier zweifellos einzigartige und herausragende Kostbarkeiten dar.
Auch die Bergkristallarbeiten des Bamberger Domschatzes wurden immer wieder mit den Bistumsstiftern Heinrich und Kunigunde in Verbindung gebracht und sicher geschah dies auch im Wissen um die Prominenz orientalischer Bergkristallarbeiten in den ottonischen Stiftungen. Im Beitrag werden aktuelle Ergebnisse eines laufenden Forschungsprojektes vorgestellt, das die Bamberger Stücke im Kontext der mittelalterlichen Bergkristallarbeiten neu einordnet und ihre Entstehung und Funktion näher beleuchtet.
Rock crystal objects from medieval Europe rarely receive attention in contemporary scholarship, and when they do, art historians – somewhat oddly – often simply assume their place of production to be Fatimid Egypt. Sources indeed prove... more
Rock crystal objects from medieval Europe rarely receive attention in contemporary scholarship, and when they do, art historians – somewhat oddly – often simply assume their place of production to be Fatimid Egypt. Sources indeed prove that the caliphal workshop in Cairo produced some high quality pieces between ca. 975 and 1050, although only four objects are positively identified by their inscriptions as Fatimid. Arabic sources, however, leave no doubt that rock crystals were also produced in Abbasid Iraq, and stylistic analysis might well prove that some objects found in medieval western church treasuries come from there as well. In addition, indirect evidence also indicates that rock crystal carving workshops operated in Byzantium, Norman Sicily and Andalusia. In short, rock crystal pommels cannot automatically be considered Fatimid without supportive evidence. On this premise, the present paper analyses the technique, function, style and iconography of all the five rock crystal pommels known today. One of the objects, presently in Cairo, has an interesting inscription with Shiʿite connotations which support Fatimid origin. Two other pommels used to be in Essen and Berlin but they were lost during World War II and only black-and-white photographs and drawings of them remain to be studied. The one in Essen had geometrical and vegetal decorations comparable with similar motifs on other Fatimid objects. The Berlin piece depicted three birds in roundels, as well as floral motifs, especially half palmettes, which might also suggest Fatimid origin. The fourth pommel, presently kept in Bamberg, depicts three griffins. Some features of this object, for example, the dots on the bodies of the animals and the hatching along their outline, are also similar to other Fatimid rock crystals. Finally, the last piece, now in Budapest, is mounted on the royal sceptre as part of the Hungarian regalia. Although this object also features three animals, in this case lions depicted in roundels, the style and the less fine execution of the carvings seem to set it apart from the rest of the group. In conclusion, the analysis of the five rock crystal pommels suggests Fatimid origins, except for the one in Budapest. Besides their place of origin, the paper shall also discuss the route of the objects to
Europe and the motives behind collecting them.
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