Peter Ludwig (1925-1996)
The Museum Schnütgen belongs to the Ludwig family of museums. According to the Peter and Irene Ludwig Foundation, the Ludwigs' collection is now distributed internationally among 26 publicly funded museums in the form of donations and permanent loans.
Peter Ludwig, who would have turned 100 on July 9, 2025, met Hermann Schnitzler, the future director of the Museum Schnütgen, while he was a student. Schnitzler made a big impression on the young collector and became a lifelong friend. As a result, the Ludwigs had close ties to the Museum Schnütgen since 1957. Peter Ludwig became a co-founder of the Friends of the Museum Schnütgen. The Pro Arte Medii Aevi association continues to contribute to the further development of the museum.
The couple's legacy is reflected on the one hand in objects from the Ludwig Collection, which Irene Ludwig bequeathed to the Museum Schnütgen after her death, such as the memento mori in the form of a tomb, which attracts attention with its fascinatingly grotesque details. Or through objects that are on permanent loan from the Peter and Irene Ludwig Foundation to the Museum Schnütgen, such as the so-called Harrach Diptych, which is one of the main works in the collection. Irene Ludwig established the foundation after the death of her husband Peter in 1997 to ensure the continuation of the Ludwigs' support for the arts. This is how, for example, the sleeve trim of a Joseph's tunic came to the museum. But even after the death of both spouses, their support did not cease. Funds from their foundation enabled various purchases to be made for the Schnütgen Museum. These include magnificent objects such as the Large Calvary, with its emotional groups of figures, and the richly painted book of hours attributed to the Master of Jannieke Bollengier.
Cover image: Portrait of Peter Ludwig, (c) Graphic Collection / Cologne City Museum
Large Calvary
Southern Netherlands, c. 1430–1440,
oak, 119 x 100 x 24 cm, Iv, no. A 998
© Rheinisches Bildarchiv
St. John
Cologne, around 1330-1340, walnut wood, height 80 cm,
inv. no. 1100
© Rheinisches Bildarchiv
Elongated ivory/bone casket with reliefs: on the front, a crucifixion scene with several figures; on the lid, additional narrative friezes of figures and ornamental interlacing patterns; studio photograph taken against a dark background
Reversible rosary bead, Southern Netherlands, around 1520, ivory, silver-gilt, aventurine, 11x3.7x2.2 cm, Inv. B163, Museum Schnütgen (from the permanent collection), Image: Rheinisches Bildarchiv
Lectern, Spain or Italy (?), 15th century, wood (unspecified, base material), bone, carved, 22 x 42.5 x 36 cm (height variable), Inv. B 165, Museum Schnütgen (from the permanent collection), Image: Rheinisches Bildarchiv
Rock crystal bowl, (Saracchi brothers, workshop), Milan, second half of the 16th century, rock crystal, gold, embossed, chiseled, enameled, 10.4x29x21.1cm, Inv.F54, Museum Schnütgen (from the exhibition collection), image: Stefan Kube
Rock crystal cross, Rhineland, early 14th century, rock crystal, nielloed and gilded silver mounts, painted parchment, iron rods, 63x40.2x5.9cm, Inv. F 56, Museum Schnütgen (from the exhibition collection), image: Stefan Kube
So-called Harrach Diptych,
Aachen, Court School of Charlemagne, around 800, ivory, 33.7 x 23 cm, on loan from the Ludwig Collection, Aachen, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv
Crucifixion of Christ with Mary and John, Upper Rhine or Switzerland (?), first quarter of the 16th century, stained glass, 88.5x60.9x1 cm, Inv. Loan 1964-001, Museum Schnütgen (from the permanent collection), image: Rheinisches Bildarchiv
The Prophets Amos and Zechariah, Cologne, around 1510, stained glass, 63x62.4x1.5cm, Inv. Loan 2018-007, Museum Schnütgen (from the permanent collection), Image: Rheinisches Bildarchiv
Coronation of Mary, left wing of an ivory diptych, Cologne, around 1350, ivory, 13.6 x 6 cm, Inv. Loan 2023-001, Museum Schnütgen (from the permanent collection), image: Stefan Kube
