ANgeSCHNITTen | Idee und Realität kunsthandwerklicher Objekte der Frühen Neuzeit

Series of events: The manifestation of early modern mining in arts and crafts objects

Hand stones, gilded bowls, tumblers and copper beakers from the mining district of Herrengrund, then Lower Austria, now Slovakia, were indispensable in the art chambers and natural history cabinets of the early modern period. They were used as representative souvenirs, state gifts and as a sign of status. Today they can be found in many private and public collections. The lecture series pays tribute to these unique works of art and places them in a wider context with three lectures.

Dr. Marius Winzeler, Director of the Grünes Gewölbe Dresden

Topic; "God's power alone on earth made me turn iron into copper". The idea and reality of early modern handicraft objects from the Slovakian Ore Mountains.

Numerous sayings on the gilded copper vessels from the once Lower Hungarian mining town of Herrengrund, today Špania Dolina in central Slovakia, reveal the amazement of the local miners at the apparent transformation of their iron tools into copper. This phenomenon, known today as the electrochemical process (cementation), stimulated the desire of mankind, then as now, to get rich quickly. It inspired alchemists to think about producing gold accordingly (transmutation). This also manifested itself in a great variety of art: Hand stones, gilded bowls, tumblers and barrel cups served as a sign of the status of the tradesmen of Herrengrund in the 16th to 18th centuries. The speaker will place the cultural-historical issues of the time in context and describe the significance of Herrengrund in art history.

An event organized by the Association of Friends of the German Mining Museum Bochum (VFKK).

• Costs: Participation free of charge
• Location: German Mining Museum Bochum
• Registration required at: info@vfkk.de or +49 234 5877-164
• Limited number of participants