Ludwig Krug (1488 – 1532) was a German goldsmith, engraver, and sculptor. Together with Wenzel Jamnitzer, he is considered among the most important goldsmiths of the 16th century in what is now Germany.[1][2][3]
Ludwig Krug | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1488 |
| Died | 1532 |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation(s) | Goldsmith, engraver, and sculptor |
Biography
editThere is little information about Krug's life and artistic training. Son of the engraver Hans Krug the Elder (approx. 1455-1519),[2] Ludwig Krug mainly worked in the Free Imperial City of Nuremberg, obtaining the title of master goldsmith in 1522.[4] While attribution of his work as a metalworker are controversial due to a lack of signature, there is more certainty about his career as an engraver thanks to the preservation of two woodcuts and sixteen copper engravings on religious subjects.[5]
Krug's prints were developed in a style that, starting from a youthful phase inspired by the models of Albrecht Durer, Martin Schongauer, and Lucas van Leyden, gradually distanced itself from these artists. In a later creative period, he gravitated towards the decorative models of Augsburg represented by Hans Schwarz, which were characterized by a certain originality and liveliness.[1] Krug's works were characterized by naturalistic design and a mixture of Italian decorative elements of late Gothic art.[4]
In the last years of his career, Krug dedicated himself to goldsmithing,[1] evidenced by a preserved illustration of a ciborium from Aschaffenburg depicting Mary, mother of Jesus and Joseph dated to 1526, as well as an illustration of the lid of a cup depicting the Labours of Hercules.[5]
Among his works are mugs at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum,[1][3] the lid of a cup preserved in the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest,[1] a golden cup in the treasury of the Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua,[3] and numerous medals[2] from his time as an engraver at the Nuremberg mint.[3] Krug's Solnhofen Limestone relief depicting Adam and Eve in the fall of man resides at the Bode Museum in Berlin.[6] Krug's version of the fall of man features an ape which symbolizes the yearning of flesh as the cause of the fall.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Le Muse, enciclopedia di tutte le arti, 6. 1964. p. 308.
- ^ a b c "Krug, Ludwig". Treccani (in Italian). Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana.
- ^ a b c d "Krug, Ludwig". www.sapere.it (in Italian). 5 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Krug, Ludwig". www.deutsche-biographie.de (in German).
- ^ a b Campbell, Gordon (9 November 2006). The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts: Two-volume Set. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 553. ISBN 978-0-19-518948-3.
- ^ a b "Adam and Eve (The Fall)". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 26 May 2024.