Skip to content

Posts from the ‘Medieval Europe’ Category

aug 29

Grab-Ottos-des-Großen- Jurgen-Jerratsch

Otto the Great

In 962 the pope, Johannes XII placed the crown on Otto the Great (912 – 973) and his consort Adelaide in a grand ceremony in St. Peter’s in Rome

Not long thereafter Otto had a new seal created which showed him en face and with a crown, sceptre and orb. It is probably correct to consider the new seal the nearest thing we can get to a direct presentation of the ideas, which lay behind the coronation, which Otto apparently had sought after for more than a decade. As such the seal may be explored through a direct comparison with the old one, which Otto up until then had used. This showed him in profile and carrying a spear. So to speak fit for fight.

Thus, there is no doubt that Otto the Great wished to explore another type of lordship than what pertained to be a king. While kings in the beginning of the 10th century were elected or at least had to fight for their supremacy as warlords, emperors were made out of quite another silk (preferably purple).They were first of all masters of the universe and defenders of the church and faith.

Magdeburg LHA Kaisersiegel Otto I 0 300x300 Otto the Great

To develop and elaborate this idea, Otto the Great drew heavily upon the history of emperors from Augustus and forward. Not indiscriminately and never as a one-to-one copy. But to be emperor was to follow in the footsteps of long series of predecessors. It is definitely correct to talk about this creational stance as a reinvention of a very old tradition.

This story is the overall theme of a grand exhibition in the best of the German tradition and in Magdeburg, famous for being home to two other exhibitions of the same ilk (Otto der Grosse und Magdeburg 2001  and Das Heilige Römische Reich Deutscher Nation 2006.)

016 ottosiegel 1 300x300 Otto the GreatWhile both of these exhibitions took as their point of departure the life and times of Otto the Great and the aftermath of his reign, the current showcases the history behind the happenings in Rome 962. Thus the exhibition consists of five parts:

  • Augustus and the origins of Emperorship in Roman Antiquity
  • Constantine the great and Christian Emperorship
  • Byzantium: the Continuity of Roman Emperorship in the East
  • Charlemagne and the Appropriation of Roman Emperorship
  • Otto the Great and the Renewal of the Roman Empire.

True to tradition a massive catalogue with fabulous illustrations accompanies the exhibition (741 pages/4.3 kilos and in German) plus there is a scientific report from a symposium, which led up to the exhibition and where specialists might delve into the ideology behind emperorship more generally. Here it is possible to read long and carefully crafted explanations about the more than 300 artifacts, some of which are quite spectacular.

What not to miss?

  •  The imperial insignia from Palatin found in 2005 with the blue orb on top of a sceptre (306 -312)
  • The crystal orb from the grave of Childerich (481/82)
  • The Holy Lance, the sword from Essen and the Imperial crown
  • The purple certificate of the marriage between Otto II and the (somewhat) purple princess, Theophanu.

All are they artefacts, which symbolise the powerful aura of imperial culture. And which we normally have to travel extensively in order to see.

This exhibition is definitely a must see for anyone with an interest in medieval history – as well as our common European Future.

Otto der Grosse und das Römische Reich. Keisertum von der Antike zum Mittelalter.
Kulturhistorisches Museum Magdeburg
27.08.2012 -09.12.2012

Ausstellungskatalog:
Otto der Große und das Römische Reich. Kaisertum von der Antike zum Mittelalter
Herausgeber: Matthias Puhle, Gabriele Köster eds
Schnell & Steiner 2012

Kaisertum im ersten Jarhtausend.
Hartmut Leppin, Bernd Schneidmüller, Stefan Weinfurter eds.
Schnell & Steiner 2012

A small travel programme points to places in Sachsen-Anhalt where it is possible to get a sense of the life and times of Otto the Great accompanies the exhibition. The program can be found here. 

maj 14

smykkesaetafperler
2 Comments

Young Dürer

The largest exhibition of the works of Dürer in 40 years

This summer, the German National Museum in Nürnberg hosts the largest exhibition with works by Albrecht Dürer in 40 years. The exhibition is built around five themes, focusing on his idea of himself as for instance witnessed in the development of the “first” copyright protection scheme, the influence from his neighbors in the formation of his persona and art plus his work as a dramatist an narrator, as is witnessed in his large production of early prints, as well as in his strive for technical perfection as a painter of natural objects and scenes of nature. A separate part of the exhibition showcases the way in which modern art historians tries to solve some of the puzzles through scientific methods of investigation.

The exhibition has been complicated to curate. One reason is that paintings and other artworks of Dürer are not easy to borrow from other museums. Several very important painting are shown, amongst those the “Kreuzabnahme”, which has undergone heavy restoration during the last years.

However, one particular painting, which was on the wish-list, was the self-portrait by Dürer, which hangs in München in the Alte Pinakothek, the so-called “Selbtsbildnis im Pelsrock”, will not be shown. This is the painting, where Dürer poses as Jesus, and which he later presented to the council of the city of Nürnberg in 1509 (it was later sold during the Napoleonic wars).

300px Duerer01 wiki 216x300 Young DürerNaturally Nürnberg tried to borrow the painting for the exhibition. “Nein” said München, and argued that the painting is not typical of “The Early Dürer” (although it was painted, when he was young). Accordingly München could not see a reason for the loan. Further it was indicated, that the Museum considered the painting central to the exhibition in München, since it draws huge crowds (and income). Finally, they claimed that the painting had been damaged the last time it had been lent to Nürnberg in 1971 and finally that it was too fragile. Naturally the curators in Nürnberg felt insulted by the insinuation that they were not good caretakers – actually a very damaging slander in so far as that might put a stop to other in-loans. Further, they felt entitled to borrow, since both museums actually belong to the same institution. After a lot of bickering both upfront and – we must presume – behind the scenes, and after the Landestag had voted to order München to lend the painting to Nürnberg, a joint committee of conservationists from both museums examined it. Their verdict was unanimous: The painting was too fragile to be transported. Further, the damage stemmed not from 1971, but was already visible in the 1930ies.

The result: The painting stayed in München and the Alte Pinakothek may probably enjoy a deluge of visitors travelling from Nürnberg to München this summer. Before traveling there, visitors should take the time to see the Albrecht-Dürer-Haus, where the artist lived from 1509 -1524. The house still stands and visitors may get a feeling for the living conditions of an artist in the beginning of the 16th century. Further the museum hosts a workshop where it is possible to get acquainted with the painting techniques and materials at that time.

Der Frühe Dürer
Germanisches National Museum, Nürnberg
24.05.2012-02.09.2012

Das Albrecht-Dürer-Haus
Albrecht-Dürer-Straße
Nürnberg

Dürer: Das ferne Genie. Eine Biographie.
Thomas Schauerte.
Reclam, Ditzingen 2012

Read about the “Ausleih-Streit”, the controversy, between Nürnberg and München in Faz

Letter from prof. Klaus-Dieter Lehmann (Nürnberg) to professor Satzinger (München) concerning the matter of the insinuation