Hans Grünewalt (1440-1503), Nuremberg, Germany.
One of the most important armorers of his time. His family can be traced back to the 14th century as being established in Nuremberg, and he himself was the son of a citizen, the armorer Hermann Grünewalt. His grandfather appears to have been the bell founder Heinrich Grünewalt, who cast the bell for St. Sebald in 1396. Born around 1440, he appears in the council records in various matters between 1464 and 1503. On October 20, 1464, Käthe ordered the Grünewalts, father and son, to dismantle a polishing mill that had been erected in Fürth without the latter's knowledge or consent, but they could continue working in it for four weeks, no longer. However, it had not yet been dismantled in February 1465, as the council permitted them to complete a project they were currently working on there. Grünewalt initially lived at the armorer's market near the churchyard; After his father's death around 1465, he set about building himself a suitable, spacious workshop and residence by the city wall. His business grew to such a significant scale that by 1480 he had already achieved considerable wealth and was able to acquire several houses in the city. He is the builder of the so-called Pilate House, or more accurately, the house "Zum geharnischten Mann" (At the Armored Man), located next to the Tiergärtner Gate, diagonally above Albrecht Dürer's house. He was also the maker of the statue of Saint George on the corner of the same house, which one of the last owners, a connoisseur of the figure's value, had removed and replaced with another of lesser worth. Around 1480, the master also owned the neighboring house.
Hans Grünewalt's connections to the city consist of a long series of requests to be allowed to employ more servants than the guild laws permitted, due to the excessive workload for princes and noblemen. Presumably, the envy of his fellow masters led to a severe reprimand in 1489 for his persistently pestering the council for more servants, claiming to work for kings and princes. Only when he had armor to forge for the Roman King (Maximilian) was he permitted two servants for four weeks, but no more. Later that same year, he was punished for employing more servants than permitted. After 1489, Ilans no longer displayed this disregard; he seems to have behaved properly from then on.
When Emperor Frederick III was in Nuremberg in 1487, the master had a great deal of work for his chancellor, Sigmund von Prüeschenk. All the evidence suggests that Hans Grünewalt was the most important armorer in Germany and the most formidable rival of both the Milanese Missaglia and the Brussels armorer Lancelot de Gindertale. No other armorer in Germany was as sought after and prized as he was at that time.
His mark cannot be definitively identified. The author suspects that the mark shown here, which appears repeatedly in contemporary works, is attributable to him.
Hans Grünewalt died in 1503, leaving behind several children by two wives whom he outlived. One, Anna, who is documented in 1467, was probably his first wife and the mother of the son who later appeared as Dr. Anthoni Grünewalt. His other son, Christof, later an armorer and master in Würzburg, seems to have come from his second marriage. A daughter, Elsbeth, was married to the Nuremberg armorer Wilhelm von Worms the Elder.
Since his mark cannot be definitively identified, works by his hand cannot be listed. The mark shown above can be found in the imperial weapons collection in Vienna on a breastplate of King Philip the Fair of Castile (66,a), a sword of Emperor Maximilian I (89), and finally a jousting weapon of this emperor from c. 1500') (995).One of the most important armorers of his time. His family can be traced back to the 14th century as being established in Nuremberg, and he himself was the son of a citizen, the armorer Hermann Grünewalt. His grandfather appears to have been the bell founder Heinrich Grünewalt, who cast the bell for St. Sebald in 1396. Born around 1440, he appears in the council records in various matters between 1464 and 1503. On October 20, 1464, Käthe ordered the Grünewalts, father and son, to dismantle a polishing mill that had been erected in Fürth without the latter's knowledge or consent, but they could continue working in it for four weeks, no longer. However, it had not yet been dismantled in February 1465, as the council permitted them to complete a project they were currently working on there. Grünewalt initially lived at the armorer's market near the churchyard; After his father's death around 1465, he set about building himself a suitable, spacious workshop and residence by the city wall. His business grew to such a significant scale that by 1480 he had already achieved considerable wealth and was able to acquire several houses in the city. He is the builder of the so-called Pilate House, or more accurately, the house "Zum geharnischten Mann" (At the Armored Man), located next to the Tiergärtner Gate, diagonally above Albrecht Dürer's house. He was also the maker of the statue of Saint George on the corner of the same house, which one of the last owners, a connoisseur of the figure's value, had removed and replaced with another of lesser worth. Around 1480, the master also owned the neighboring house.
Hans Grünewalt's connections to the city consist of a long series of requests to be allowed to employ more servants than the guild laws permitted, due to the excessive workload for princes and noblemen. Presumably, the envy of his fellow masters led to a severe reprimand in 1489 for his persistently pestering the council for more servants, claiming to work for kings and princes. Only when he had armor to forge for the Roman King (Maximilian) was he permitted two servants for four weeks, but no more. Later that same year, he was punished for employing more servants than permitted. After 1489, Ilans no longer displayed this disregard; he seems to have behaved properly from then on.
When Emperor Frederick III was in Nuremberg in 1487, the master had a great deal of work for his chancellor, Sigmund von Prüeschenk. All the evidence suggests that Hans Grünewalt was the most important armorer in Germany and the most formidable rival of both the Milanese Missaglia and the Brussels armorer Lancelot de Gindertale. No other armorer in Germany was as sought after and prized as he was at that time.
His mark cannot be definitively identified. The author suspects that the mark shown here, which appears repeatedly in contemporary works, is attributable to him.
Hans Grünewalt died in 1503, leaving behind several children by two wives whom he outlived. One, Anna, who is documented in 1467, was probably his first wife and the mother of the son who later appeared as Dr. Anthoni Grünewalt. His other son, Christof, later an armorer and master in Würzburg, seems to have come from his second marriage. A daughter, Elsbeth, was married to the Nuremberg armorer Wilhelm von Worms the Elder.
Since his mark cannot be definitively identified, works by his hand cannot be listed. The mark shown above can be found in the imperial weapons collection in Vienna on a breastplate of King Philip the Fair of Castile (66,a), a sword of Emperor Maximilian I (89), and finally a jousting weapon of this emperor from c. 1500') (995).
Source: Meister der Waffenschmiedekunst vom XIV. bis ins XVIII., Wendelin Boeheim, Berlin, 1897. стр 83
Famous customers of the master:
Emperor Maximilian I
Armor of the great master you can see:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York, USA.
Hofjagd- und Rüstkammer, Vienna, Austria.