Art for citizenry and church around 1400
Around 1400, after centuries under the rule of archbishops and city nobility, Cologne, a flourishing metropolis of trade in the Middle Ages, transformed itself into a free town governed by its citizens. The town dwellers began to join the church in its patronage of the richly nuanced art of the times, taking on an ever more important role. Symbolic of this development was the newly constructed Gothic town hall tower; it was a further visible sign of the self-confidence of the merchants and craftsmen. Figures typical of the so-called International Gothic Style combine a fiercely realistic rendering with glorification through the voluminous folds of their robes.
The Virgin Mary in the Sun, Cologne, c. 1370-1390, walnut, polychrome, h. 37 cm, inv. no. A 895, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv
Console Bust with the Parler Coat of Arms, Cologne workshop of the Parlers, c. 1390, limestone, polychrome, H. 44.5 cm, Inv. No. K 127, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv
Wild Man, Cologne (?), circle of the Parler family, late 14th cent., oak, inv. no. A 47, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv
Textile Fragment with the Gyr Family Coat of Arms, Cologne, 14th cent., wool, linen, 33 x 56 cm, inv. no. N 1083, © Rheinisches Bildarchiv
