Four portrait medallions

Four portrait medallions

Attributed to Victor Kayser (before 1516 Augsburg? 1552/1553), after Hans Daucher (Augsburg, 1486 – Stuttgart, 1538), A Portrait medallion representing King Henry VIII, circa 1530, alabaster on red marble, ø 7,9 cm.

Provenance:
Collection Max Margrave Von Baden, Grand duchy of Baden
His sale, Sotheby’s Baden-Baden, 05/10/1995, lot 264;
Art dealer Alain Moatti, Paris

Attributed to Victor Kayser, after Hans Daucher, Portrait of Francois I, circa 1530, alabaster on red marble, ø 7,7 cm (unframed, inscribed: F I REX FRANCO

Provenance:
Collection Max Margrave Von Baden, Grand duchy of Baden
His sale, Sotheby’s Baden-Baden, 05/10/1995, lot 263;
Art dealer Alain Moatti, Paris

Attributed to Victor Kayser, after Hans Daucher, Portrait of Ferdinand I of Austria, circa 1530, alabaster on red marble, ø 6,7 cm (unframed) inscribed: F R V E B R M

Provenance:
Collection Max Margrave Von Baden, Grand duchy of Baden;
His sale, Sotheby’s Baden-Baden, 05/10/1995, lot 266, to
Art dealer Alain Moatti, Paris

Monogrammist HP, after Valentin Maler19, Portrait of Sebald Haller von Hallerstein, 1569, alabaster, 5,8 cm, 49 gr, inscribed: SEBALT HALLER Z. HALLERSTEIN, signed and dated: HP, 1569.

Provenance:
Collection Baron Robert Philippe Gustave de Rothschild, Paris and Lausanne, sold by his heirs, to Art dealer Alain Moatti, Paris

Self-confident men

From a strong sense of self-awareness, the very richest allow themselves to be immortalized in the visual arts. This already started during the classical antiquity but never was so strong as during the Renaissance. The present portrait relief was carved during this important period. This and two other portrait medallions in white alabaster represent three monarchs in relief: King Henry VIII of England (reign 1509 – 1547), King François I of France (reign 1515 – 1447) and Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria (reign 1521 – 1564). All three were made in Augsburg (Bavaria) and are dated around 1530.
The forth example concerns the portrait medallion representing Sebald Haller von Hallerstein (1500 – 1578), in three-quarters dexter, carved in caramel coloured alabaster (pl. 8). He was not a monarch, however a high-placed diplomat and politician from Nuremberg and councilor to Emperor Charles V. Probably this piece was also manufactured in Bavaria, possibly in Nuremberg and it is the only dated example within this group of portrait carvings.

The origin of these finely carved relief portraits lies in portrait medals. Although these are often studied in a numismatic context, there are also important differences. Coins were an official means of payment and had to comply with rules related to weight, material and imminent information such as value, region and ruler. All these standards were carefully checked by the central authorities. In portrait medallions this was not the case, since these were commissioned by individuals and had a strong commemorative function. Moreover, only a limited number were made, sometimes only one, contrary to coins, of which a great number were minted. The portrait medallions were often chased or cast in gold, silver, bronze and lead, depending on the commission or manufacturer. From these metal objects carved variants were developed in stone (e.g. alabaster, marble and soapstone) and in wood (because of the small size wood examples were made of palm wood or boxwood, hence the relation with sculpture became closer. Of the present portrait medallions no copies are known, therefore they may all be considered as unique pieces.

Three Monarchs

During their lifetime, portraits of monarchs were spread all over Europe in various media. The portraits made the ruler more known and could even represent their presence during their factual absence. The emphasis on the relationship with their forebearers and offspring was meant to point out the continuity of government, dynasty and legitimacy.
Both Henry VIII, François I and Ferdinand can be considered as self-aware renaissance monarchs (pl. 1). They let themselves be portrayed often by the best professionals. Henry VIII was King of England from 1509 – 1547, as well as Lord of Ireland and later king of Ireland. He was very much interested in science and the arts and a great number of portraits of him are known today, e.g. by Hans Holbein (1497/98 Augsburg – London 1543) and Joos van Cleve ( circa 1485/90 Kleve–Antwerp 1540/41).
These are intimate portraits en face and in three-quarter length but also monumental pieces are known on which he is depicted in full-length.

Joos van Cleve, Portrait of Henry VIII, circa 1530-1535, oil on panel, 72,4 x 58,6 cm. Londen, Hampton Court, inv. n° RCIN 403368

Joos van Cleve, Portrait of François I, circa. 1530-1535, oil on panel, 72,1 x 59,2 cm, Philadelphia, Museum of Arts, inv. n° 876

It is interesting to know that the Antwerp painter Joos van Cleve portrayed both Henry VIII as François I. Van Cleve’s Portrait of Henry VIII in Hampton Court has comparable measurements as the Portrait of François I in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Apart from the compositions, both men are facing each other and are seated behind a table before a dark green background with the same light and wearing comparable costumes. Possibly these portraits were painted as pendants to commemorate the meeting of François I and Henry VIII in Calais and Boulogne on 21st until 29th of October 1532. Another possibility is that Van Cleve based the Portrait of Henry VIII on the one he made of François I, without ever having met the English monarch in the flesh, hoping to receive future commissions from the English court.

François I (1494 Cognac – Rambouillet Castle 1547) was crowned King of France in Reims in 1515 and reigned until his death in 1547. He was the only son of Charles of Angoulême and Louise of Savoye. His mother was e great fan of renaissance art and passed this passion on to her son. During his reign the cultural development of France gained momentum. At the beginning of his reign he commissioned the building of the Château de Chambord and even involved Leonardo da Vinci (1452 Anchiano (Vinci) – Amboise 1519) in the design of it.

Benvenuto Cellini, Portrait medal of François I, first half 16th century, Cambridge, The Fitzwilliam Museum, inv. n° CM.36-1967.

Apart from painted portraits of the French king there are also portrait medallions that resemble classic Greek coins. François I is represented in profile to left wearing a laurel wreath on his head as a reference to Zeus, the king of the Greek gods. His identity is confirmed by the typical profile with the long, slightly bent nose (that we also see on the present portrait medallion in alabaster), the large ear and self-assured piercing look. Also a legend in Latin is carved: Franciscus I Francorum Rex (Francis I, King of the French), leaving no doubt about the identity of the portrayed. on one side the medal is edited on one side in low-relief and was made by the famous Florentine goldsmith and sculptor Benvenuto Cellini (1500 Florence 1571).

Ferdinand I

Ferdinand I (1503 Alcalá de Henares – Vienna 1564) was Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and King of Bohemia and Hungary. He was the younger brother of Emperor Charles V. Just as of other self-assured monarchs many portraits of him have survived, in different formats and various media, such as painting, print and portrait medals in metal, as well as portrait carvings in boxwood and alabaster. In the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna there are several portraits of the monarch, at various ages, from intimate small reliefs and modest busts to monumental works on which the Emperor is depicted at full-length.

Augsburg, Portrait medallion of Archduke Ferdinand, later Emperor Ferdinand I, circa 1522-1527. marble, 20,5 cm, inscribed: ERDIANDVS. INF: ET. PRINC. HISP. ARCHIDVX: AVSTR: DVX. BVRGVND: SACR: ROM: IMPERII. PRO. CAES: M: LOCVMTENENS. Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Kunstkammer, inv. n° 4452

Emperor Ferdinand I (1503–1564) is regarded as the founder of the Viennese Kunstkammer (cabinet of curiosities) that was first mentioned in 1554. Extant sources document not only his personal interest in the artistic quality and the age of artworks, but also the actual coins, antiques and exotica he acquired.  In comparison with the present three portraits of monarchs the Augsburg relief of the Archduke Ferdinand, later Emperor Ferdinand I in profile in Vienna is very interesting. This work is twice as large as the small medallion representing Henry VIII center) discussed earlier, but also a combination was made of a portrait in white stone, mounted on a red background. Although the clothing and the headdress differs in these portraits, the facial features characteristic of the monarch are present in both works: the typical Habsburg slightly protruding lower jaw with slightly opened mouth with thick lips, and a rather big nose. In terms of clothing, the alabaster portrait medallion is more consistent with the garments the monarch wears in his later portraits of around 1555.

Sebald von Hallerstein

The forth medallion shows the Portrait of Sebald Haller von Hallerstein (1500 – 1578). He was not a monarch but a high-placed diplomat and politician from Nurnberg (Bavaria) and councilor of the elder brother of Ferdinand, Emperor Charles V. Only a painted portrait of him is known, showing the lordship at age 28 (pl. 7). On the medallion of caramel-coloured alabaster Sebald Haller von Hallerstein is well over 40 years old (pl. 8), but nevertheless there is due to the inscription SEBALT HALLER Z. HALLERSTEIN no doubt whatsoever about the identity of the sitter.

Bavaria

The three relief portraits, carved in white alabaster  are most probably based on medallion portraits by Hans Daucher 1486 Augsburg – Stuttgart 1538), a German renaissance woodcarver, sculptor and designer of medals. A contemporary of Daucher, Victor Kayser (before 1516 Augsburg? 1552/53) often worked in limestone and alabaster, in small format, and is probably responsible for these works. We barely know anything about this Augsburg master, called Victor Kayser. Only a small number of reliefs can be attributed to him.  Starting in 1516, he was a pupil of Jakob Murmann the Elder (1467 Augsburg 1547). We only know one signed work: this key piece is the relief depicting Susanna and the elders, circa 1530 ( Berlin, Bode Museum, inv. n° 2004). On the basis of a comparison in style also The Passover Supper (Budapest, the Szépművészeti Múzeum, inv. n° 7158, pl. 11) and Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, circa 1530-35, (London, Victoria and Albert Museum, inv. n° A.42-1947) are given to Kayser. Also the present portrait medallions show a lot of similarities, especially when we concentrate on the male figures in profile. The detailing and way in which the hairs appear as graphic lines are executed are quite similar.

Victor Kayser, Susanna and the elders, circa 1530, Solnhofen-limestone, 44,9 x 29,7 cm, Berlin, Bode-Museum, inv. n° 2004