Metal Art

The collection of metal art is one of the most extensive and multifaceted at the MAKK. It combines diverse works made of gold, silver, pewter, brass, bronze, iron and enamel. The artistically high-ranking objects cover all epochs, beginning in the early Middle Ages, and originate predominantly from European workshop centers.

This area of the collection includes magnificent gold and silversmith's work from secular and ecclesiastical contexts. Magnificent earthenware vessels, representative display objects, ceremonial bowls, table and altar utensils document the changing styles and processing techniques while the fascination for precious metals continues unabated. Gold and silver have always symbolized the social status and self-image of their owners. The metals were often worked in combination with other valuable materials such as various precious stones, ivory, mother-of-pearl or worked coconuts, as illustrated, for example, by the screw-top flasks with coconut bodies created with unique virtuosity by the Cologne goldsmith Thomas von Hattingen (around 1580) or the lidded tankard with bacchanal by the ivory carver Johann Ulrich Hurdter and the goldsmith Hans Ludwig Kienlen (around 1670).

The pewter collection is dominated by pilgrimage signs, utensils, guild, council, wine and communion jugs from the 15th to 18th centuries as well as objects from the Art Nouveau productions of the Kayser and Orivit companies, which were important for Cologne. In addition, there are several examples of magnificent relief pewter from the 16th and 17th centuries, which, in the form of plates and wash basins (lavabos), served as decorative and display items like comparable silverware. The form cutter Caspar Enderlein (1560-1633), who worked in Nuremberg, was particularly influential in this field. The MAKK owns, among other things, the important “Temperantia-Kanne” with its accompanying bowl.
A separate area of the collection consists of utensils made of brass, bronze and iron such as candlesticks, jugs, mortars, cassettes, door locks and keys as well as door and furniture fittings. These objects have been brought together as evidence of outstanding artistic and craftsmanship.

This also applies to the collection of armor pieces, hunting and battle weapons, which came into the collection less for their function than for their representative design and impressively document a wealth of variations in decorative techniques. Ornamental and scenic depictions, as well as gold and silversmithing work, were often based on specific models. For example, a small powder flask with the figures of the Germanic generals Ariovistus and Arminius is based on designs by the Nuremberg sculptor Peter Flötner (1485-1546), which are also in the MAKK collection as lead plaques.
Other remarkable collection complexes include the extensive holdings of cutlery, which document the development of this important type of utensil from the medieval spoon to the cutlery of our time, as well as the table, mantelpiece, longcase, wall and pocket clocks, which can be seen as evidence of masterly artistic achievement. There are also scientific instruments, mainly from the 16th and 17th centuries. These objects were initially collected in the princely art chambers of the early modern period and found their way into the museums of applied arts in the 19th century as evidence of the scientific, technical and artistic developments of the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

The museum's enamel collection brings together objects from the most important centers associated with this art form. First and foremost are works from the Rhenish and Cologne cultural area at the end of the 12th century, such as the important spandrel plate of a reliquary created in the circle of Nicholas of Verdun (around 1130/1140-1205). The artistic development of the famous workshops in Limoges, France, is comprehensively documented. It ranges from the ornamental pit enamel work of the 13th century to the highly colored enamel work of the 15th century and the gold-encrusted grisaille and colored enamels of the 17th and 18th centuries. The flourishing of enamel art in historicism is attested to by highly characteristic treasury pieces from French, German and Austrian workshops, such as those of Karl Bender (Vienna, 1856-1883) and Gabriel Hermeling (Cologne, 1833-1904). The extensive estate of Lili Schultz (1895-1970), a teacher at Burg Giebichenstein and the Düsseldorf Academy, illustrates the intensive exploration of the technical facets of the art form in the early 20th century.

Another focus of metal art is on modern medals and plaques. Some precious objects can only be found in a few museums and collections. These include the medal with the portrait of Emperor Heraclius on the obverse and the return of the cross of Christ to Jerusalem on the reverse. This is probably the earliest scenic depiction in a small format (around 1402). But the famous portraits of Isotta of Rimini - considered one of the most beautiful Renaissance portraits - and her husband Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, creations of the ingenious medallist Matteo de' Pasti, are also among the highlights.
Plaque art is represented in an outstanding way with 60 plaques by the Nuremberg Renaissance artist Peter Flötner, including the extremely rare depiction of “Ate and the Litai” (after 1534).