Pair of Stirrups
- Date
- c.1558
- Material
- Gilded bronze
- made in
- Augsburg, Bavaria state, Germany, Europe
- Classification
- Arms & armor
- Collection
- Decorative Arts and Design
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- each: 6 9/16 x 4 15/16 x 3 3/8 in. (16.7 x 12.5 x 8.6 cm)
weight: 1 lb. 4 oz. (0.6 kg) - Credit Line
- Museum Purchase
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 54-55:1926
NOTES
These superb stirrups are great artworks as well as armor. They come from the Habsburg armory in Vienna and are one of four pairs goldsmiths made for Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria (1503–1564) and his three sons. Cast in solid bronze with heavy gilding, the stirrups are elaborately ornamented with human and animal figures among scrolls. This imagery derives from ancient Roman wall decoration that artists revived during the 1500s.
Provenance
- 1590
Archduke Karl II (1540-1590), of Inner Austria [1]
Lord Londesborough, England [2]
1888/07/04 - 1895
Frédèric Spitzer (1815-1890), Paris, France, purchased at auction of Lord Londesborough's collection at Christie's, Manson and Woods, London, July 4, 1888, lot no. 409 [3]
1895/06/10
Sold at "Spitzer Sale" at Mannheim and Maître Chevallier, Paris, France, lot no. 475 [4]
Baron Vitta [5]
Raoul Cabany, Paris, France [6]
- 1926
Arnold Seligmann, Rey & Co., New York, NY, USA
1926 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Arnold Seligmann, Rey & Co., New York, NY [7]
Notes:
This stirrup is one of a pair; the second stirrup (55:1926) shares the same provenance.
[1] The stirrups are one of four pair made for the Emperor Ferdinand I and his three sons; this pair is believed to have belonged to the emperor's youngest son, Archduke Karl II [Bruno, Thomas. "The Golden Stirrups in St. Louis and Related Objects." In "Museum Monographs II," 70-95, St. Louis: City Art Museum of Saint Louis, 1970].
[2] Research has not yielded precise information about Lord Londesborough, but it is likely that it was Albert Denison (1805–1860) who owned the stirrups [correspondence from Yorkshire Archaeological Society, SLAM document files, and "Dictionary of National Biography," p. 351].
[3] This auction is documented in a 1925 publication [Cripps-Day, Francis Henry. "A Record of Armour Sales, 1881-1924." London: G. Bell and Sons, Ltd., 1925, p. 19.]
[4] After Spitzer's death in 1890, his collection was sold at auction in 1893 and 1895. According to Cripps-Day (see note [3]), these stirrups were sold to an unknown buyer at Mannheim and Maître Chevallier, Paris [Cripps-Day, p. 99].
[5] "Baron Vitta" and "Cabany, Paris" are listed as previous owners on the 1926 invoice from dealer Arnold Seligmann, Rey & Co. [SLAM document files]. According to the Museum's accession record, Cabany is "Raoul Cabany." Further documentation regarding these names has not been found.
[6] See note [5].
[7] Invoice, dated May 24, 1926 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, May 21, 1926.
Archduke Karl II (1540-1590), of Inner Austria [1]
Lord Londesborough, England [2]
1888/07/04 - 1895
Frédèric Spitzer (1815-1890), Paris, France, purchased at auction of Lord Londesborough's collection at Christie's, Manson and Woods, London, July 4, 1888, lot no. 409 [3]
1895/06/10
Sold at "Spitzer Sale" at Mannheim and Maître Chevallier, Paris, France, lot no. 475 [4]
Baron Vitta [5]
Raoul Cabany, Paris, France [6]
- 1926
Arnold Seligmann, Rey & Co., New York, NY, USA
1926 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Arnold Seligmann, Rey & Co., New York, NY [7]
Notes:
This stirrup is one of a pair; the second stirrup (55:1926) shares the same provenance.
[1] The stirrups are one of four pair made for the Emperor Ferdinand I and his three sons; this pair is believed to have belonged to the emperor's youngest son, Archduke Karl II [Bruno, Thomas. "The Golden Stirrups in St. Louis and Related Objects." In "Museum Monographs II," 70-95, St. Louis: City Art Museum of Saint Louis, 1970].
[2] Research has not yielded precise information about Lord Londesborough, but it is likely that it was Albert Denison (1805–1860) who owned the stirrups [correspondence from Yorkshire Archaeological Society, SLAM document files, and "Dictionary of National Biography," p. 351].
[3] This auction is documented in a 1925 publication [Cripps-Day, Francis Henry. "A Record of Armour Sales, 1881-1924." London: G. Bell and Sons, Ltd., 1925, p. 19.]
[4] After Spitzer's death in 1890, his collection was sold at auction in 1893 and 1895. According to Cripps-Day (see note [3]), these stirrups were sold to an unknown buyer at Mannheim and Maître Chevallier, Paris [Cripps-Day, p. 99].
[5] "Baron Vitta" and "Cabany, Paris" are listed as previous owners on the 1926 invoice from dealer Arnold Seligmann, Rey & Co. [SLAM document files]. According to the Museum's accession record, Cabany is "Raoul Cabany." Further documentation regarding these names has not been found.
[6] See note [5].
[7] Invoice, dated May 24, 1926 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, May 21, 1926.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.