What were the achievements of metalwork during the Renaissance?

Metalsmithing in the Renaissance was not as important as it had been in the Middle Ages, and precious metals, in particular, lacked a market among the newly emerging civic classes. However, metalwork still made remarkable achievements in this period. In the Renaissance, many outstanding masters of art have been involved in the goldsmithing industry.

Gold Imperial Salt Urns In Italy, metalwork developed considerably in the late 15th and 16th centuries as the civic classes became more affluent. It is recorded that in 1474 there were 44 workshops of gold and silver joiners in Florence alone. The most famous goldsmith at that time was Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571), who was born in Florence and was devoted to the art of Michelangelo, and the autobiography and treatise on technique written by him are important documents for the study of Renaissance metalwork. His outstanding masterpiece is made for Franzio I "gold Imperial Salt Jar", the cylinder body is made entirely of gold, in the oval pedestal carved with two relative sitting on the statue of God (God of the earth and God of the sea), surrounded by relief elephants symbolizing the four seasons, the works of luxury and exquisite, the formation of the medieval style of precious metal craftsmanship and the decorative characteristics of the style of the vastly different.

Screw-shaped kettle in the rest of Europe, the Renaissance metal craft development is not balanced. Some areas due to the constant war so that the development of metal craft is hindered, then more prosperous is France and Germany. These two countries of goldsmithing techniques than pottery or glass seems less affected by the Italian influence, but on its own, this influence is still clearly present. For example, Cellini was invited by Francois I, stayed in France for four or five years, he had more than 30 disciples, most of them are foreigners, so that he is regarded as a representative of the highest level of metalwork in Europe at the time of the goldsmith.

In the European countries north of the Alps, France is the center of the precious metal craft, which is with the French royal family's strong power and strong capital can not be separated. Here with the medieval precious metal craft presents a different age is the type of artifacts and decorative content. French Renaissance gold and silver products are mostly tableware, candlesticks, pendulums, as well as swords and armor and fireplace decoration and so on. In the decorative content, although also common to the gothic building partial imitation, but more is decorated with figures or animal and plant images, the subject has historical stories and myths and legends.

In Germany, Nuremberg is the largest center of silverware production, Dürer is the identity of the silverware craftsmen across the hall of art. At that time in Nuremberg there was a large number of skilled goldsmiths, among them the highly reputable Wenzel-Jamnitzer (WenzelJamnitzer, 1508-1585) was very popular with the nobility of the royal court, and most of his works were collected by the court. He is said to have enriched the decorative techniques of metalwork by inventing a rotating stamp used to make wire feet and repeating rims. These stamped rims appeared not only on the products of his own workshop, but also on works influenced by him. The two representative works, "Silver Table Decoration," now in the National Museum of Silver Cups, Amsterdam, and "Conch Jug," in the Lechty Museum of Treasure, Munich, show that Jamnitzer not only perfected goldsmithing, but also absorbed certain characteristics of "rustic pottery" in his decorative technique

Johann Tanner was also a famous goldsmith in Nuremberg during the Renaissance. The "Luxury Silver Cup" is from his hand. Works rich in changes in shape, full of momentum, overflowing with noble and elegant court atmosphere. Decoration is based on complex and varied plant patterns, covered with every part of the vessel, adding a sense of luxury and slenderness. Obviously, this is in the silver - this simple material conditions, the craftsman in order not to produce a boring feeling and the pursuit of rich texture effect.