Wenzel Jamnitzer I
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Wenzel Jamnitzer I (1507/08-1585) was the most famous goldsmith of Renaissance Nuremberg. He created elaborate silver and gold objects for the Holy Roman Emperor and German princes, including his famous Merkel Table Centerpiece. His work combined scientific observation of nature with virtuosic metalwork, casting actual insects, reptiles, and plants directly in silver.
Sculptures by Wenzel Jamnitzer I
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About Wenzel Jamnitzer I
Jamnitzer was Renaissance Nuremberg's greatest goldsmith. He created elaborate silver and gold objects for the Holy Roman Emperor, famously casting real insects and plants directly in metal using life-casting techniques.
His Mortar (1545) is held by the Cleveland Museum of Art.
The Merkel Table Centerpiece is Jamnitzer's most famous work, a silver and gold showpiece combining figural sculpture with life-cast natural forms.
The mortar is dated to 1545, from the height of Jamnitzer's career as imperial goldsmith.
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