Conrad Faber from Kreuznach

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Conrad Faber von Kreuznach (* around 1500 (?) In Kreuznach ; † between September 10, 1552 and May 15, 1553 in Frankfurt am Main ), formerly known as the Master of Holzhausen Portraits , was a German painter and draftsman for woodcuts and a master of the Renaissance portrait .

Life

Nothing is known about Faber's ancestry or his life prior to 1524. The assumption that he worked as a draftsman and illustrator for the publisher Peter Schöffer in Mainz from 1517 to 1523 is based on speculation. Schöffer was a former employee of Gutenberg and one of the first printers and booksellers in media history.

Faber was first mentioned in 1526 as a journeyman in the workshop of the Frankfurt painter Hans Fyoll (1460–1531, son of Konrad and grandson of Sebald Fyoll ), on the corner of Fahrgasse and Nonnengasse. Since that time it has been continuously proven in Frankfurt. At the beginning of the Reformation , many artists found themselves robbed of their most important source of income: the production of works of art for churches on behalf of wealthy donors. This fate also met Faber, who was indebted all his life and kept his head above water with moderately paid jobs.

Nothing is known about Faber's first marriage. On July 18, 1537, he married Katharina, a daughter of the Frankfurt wool weaver and later councilor Niklaus Husen, known as Klaus Höchst. In contrast to Conrad, Katharina had Frankfurt citizenship , a privilege that Faber was now granted through the marriage. On March 27, 1538 Faber swore the citizen oath .

In 1546 Ludwig, Faber's only son, was born. The child was given the name of his godfather, the patrician Ludwig von Martorff , whose portrait is one of Faber's Frankfurt works.

At the beginning of 1547, due to the meager order situation , Faber and his painter colleague Hans Wurzgart applied to the Frankfurt council for the position of town Eisenwäger. On March 24, 1547, he was awarded this office, and he and his family were allowed to move into the Eisenwaage office in Fahrgasse, where he lived until his death. His job was to weigh and declare the iron coming into Frankfurt through the bridge gate over the Main Bridge .

Siege plan of Frankfurt from 1552

In the later years of his life Faber created several important topographical works, including the template for the view of Frankfurt in Sebastian Munster's Cosmographia (1550) and for a woodcut by the Amsterdam-based woodcutter Hans Grav . He also cut the 10 wooden sticks for Faber's important work, the Frankfurt Siege Plan of 1552. Shortly after completing the drawings, Faber died, probably in the spring of 1553. He left around 400 guilders in debt, and the council paid him for his very extensive work on the plan Widow only 50 guilders.

In the same year, on November 6, 1553, Katharina married Faber's painter colleague Jakob Laßmann and sent her seven-year-old son Ludwig to be further educated by her mother and stepfather in Sontra in Northern Hesse. However, Katharina died in 1558, the thirteen-year-old Ludwig inherited his father's workshop equipment in Fahrgasse and in a garden house in Hasenpfad in Sachsenhausen - and his debts.

Works

Portrait of Hamman von Holzhausen, 1529
Portrait of Justinian and Anna von Holzhausen, 1536
This article or the following section is not adequately provided with supporting documents ( e.g. individual evidence ). Information without sufficient evidence could be removed soon. Please help Wikipedia by researching the information and including good evidence.
According to the biographies used in the bibliography, there is no evidence of Faber's life and work before 1524. - Flibbertigibbet 10:07 p.m., Nov. 16, 2011 (CET)

His early works include the illustrations from 1517–1522 for the translation of Livy published in 1522 by Peter Schöffer in Mainz . On the 420 pages of this issue there are 153 woodcuts by Faber, which, by combining depictions of people and landscapes, served for 250 illustrations. Faber's lively representations stand out from the woodcuts of the three other illustrators, which are still influenced by the Middle Ages. To depict the ancient events, Faber used sketches that he had made during his wanderings on the Middle Rhine, so identifiable Rhenish cities serve to illustrate Greek sieges and princes of his time as Roman warlords.

Conrad Faber mainly painted portraits of wealthy clients, as well as landscapes and cityscapes . About 40 portraits signed with CVC have survived, mostly of patricians of the noble Ganerbschaft Alten Limpurg or their wives. Most of the portraits are half-length busts, mostly with a landscape background and carefully executed. The splendid costumes of the patricians are reproduced with coloristic taste .

His portraits of Gilbrecht von Holzhausen and his wife Anna Ratzeburger, painted in 1535, are of particular importance . In the background, the city of Frankfurt am Main with Sachsenhausen can be seen from a bird's eye view. It is the earliest known picturesque view of the city. Faber's main work is the portrait of Justinian and Anna von Holzhausen from 1536, which is now in the Städel . In 1547 he designed a tapestry for Ogier von Melem , the grandson of Johann von Melem , who in 1464 had built the stone house on Alter Markt , which still exists today . His last work is the Siege Plan , a woodcut showing Frankfurt during the siege of 1552 in the Prince's War, when the Protestant but loyal city was besieged for three weeks by the troops of the Protestant princes and successfully defended by the imperial troops.

literature

Web links

Commons : Conrad Faber  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Münster, Sebastian: (PDF; 2.2 MB) Cosmographei Or description of all countries, herschafften, Fürnemsten Stetten, stories, customs, handling etc. Now for the third time, excellent and improved by Sebastianum Munsterum…. Basel 1550, pp. 816/817.
  2. ↑ Titi Livii Roman Hystories. Peter Schöffer, Meinz 1533 urn : nbn: de: bvb: 12-bsb11199524-2
personal data
SURNAME Faber von Kreuznach, Conrad
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Faber, Conrad
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German painter
DATE OF BIRTH around 1490
PLACE OF BIRTH uncertain: Kreuznach
DATE OF DEATH between September 10, 1552 and May 15, 1553
Place of death Frankfurt am Main