"Sol Justitiae", 1499
The year 1499 was experienced with a great deal of anxiety in Nuremberg and across Europe. If we recall the anxiety around the end of 1999 (Y2K?), we can relate how we pick arbitrary dates and whole numbers to believe the end of the world is near. The Emperor's army was defeated in the Swiss War. The authorities 'expelled' Jewish families from Nuremberg. Fierce, divine judgement fit the spirit of the day. The style of the sword hilt recalls similar hilts held by similarly divine figures in the Nuremberg Chronicle.
|