Ludwig Krug

Ludwig Krug
Born1488
Died1532 (aged 43–44)
NationalityGerman
Occupation(s)Goldsmith, engraver, and sculptor

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]

Biography

There is little information about Krug's life and artistic training. Son of the engraver Hans Krug the Elder,[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]

Adam and Eve: The Fall of Man by Krug

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 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 mimicking Adam eating the apple, which symbolizes the yearning of flesh as the cause of the fall.[6]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ludwig Krug.
  1. ^ a b c d e Le Muse, enciclopedia di tutte le arti, 6. 1964. p. 308.
  2. ^ a b c "Krug, Ludwig". Treccani (in Italian). Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana. Archived from the original on 12 July 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d "Krug, Ludwig". sapere.it (in Italian). 5 June 2020. Archived from the original on 12 July 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Krug, Ludwig". deutsche-biographie.de (in German).
  5. ^ a b Campbell, Gordon (9 November 2006). The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts. Oxford University Press. p. 553. ISBN 978-0-19-518948-3. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Adam and Eve (The Fall)". Google Arts & Culture. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.