Model for a portrait medal of Augustus, Elector of Saxony

Tobias Wolff

1575 · Honey-stone · Robert Lehman Collection

This stone model for a medal bears a portrait of Augustus, Elector of Saxony (1526 – 1586). Famous for his collections, including the finest assemblage of arms and armor in Northern Europe, Augustus founded the Dresden Kunstkammer, predecessor to the present-day state collections. This is a model made of Solnhofen limestone, from which molds were taken for casting medals. Tobias Wolff, a rather elusive personality, probably worked in Breslau (present-day Wrocław, Poland) before moving to Saxony where he was employed by the elector. In 1576 he was called “portrait carver from Breslau.” There are indications that he was also active in Augsburg in a later phase of his career.

Artist

Tobias Wolff

Date

1575

Medium

Honey-stone

Culture

Polish or German

Department

Robert Lehman Collection

Credit line

Robert Lehman Collection, 1975