The Crozier

Martin Schongauer was trained as a painter, but his engravings are undoubtedly his most important contribution to the history of art. The larger part of his oeuvre focuses on religious subjects, but he also produced genre scenes, animal portraits, heraldry, and, from time to time, ornament and design. The Crozier (bishop’s staff) and The Censer represent two of his masterpieces in the latter category. Schongauer’s father and one of his brothers were active as goldsmiths, while a second brother was a dealer in silver. It remains unclear to which extent Schongauer himself was trained in this profession. Consequently, it has been suggested that these designs were meant primarily as models for painters working with ecclesiastical subjects, rather than as models for goldsmiths. There is, however, no real reason to believe that these designs could not also have been executed in precious metals. A close copy after the Crozier was created in Germany in the 1480s, and around the turn of the century, a goldsmith active in the Netherlands created a censer that closely relates to Schongauer's print.