ticketsMember | Make a donation

Heinrich Ribisch (1485–1544), Georg Hermann (1491–1552), and Konrad Maier (1493–1565)

1531
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Medals with multiple portraits are rare in the Renaissance. The three individuals represented in this piece—Heinrich Ribisch, Georg Hermann, and Konrad Maier—were friends as well as business partners in the service of the leading German mercantile and banking dynasty, the Fugger family in Augsburg. Matthes Gebel, a prolific medalist active in Nuremberg, mastered the difficult task of capturing both the individual appearance and a hint of the character of each man. The Latin inscription on the heraldic reverse of this friendship medal reads, "How pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. 1531."

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Heinrich Ribisch (1485–1544), Georg Hermann (1491–1552), and Konrad Maier (1493–1565)
  • Maker: Matthes Gebel (ca. 1500–1574)
  • Date: 1531
  • Culture: German
  • Medium: Silver, cast
  • Dimensions: Diameter: 1 9/16 in. (3.9 cm)
  • Classification: Medals and Plaquettes
  • Credit Line: Dr. Stephen K. and Janie Woo Scher Collection
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts