Agnes II (Agnes of Meissen; 1139 – 21 January 1203) was a member of the

House of Wettin The House of Wettin () is a dynasty of German kings, prince-electors, dukes, and counts that once ruled territories in the present-day German states of Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia. The dynasty is one of the oldest in Europe, and its ori ...

who reigned as

Princess-Abbess of Quedlinburg This is a list of princess-abbesses of Quedlinburg Abbey. {{DEFAULTSORT:Quedlinburg, Princess-abbesses Lists of monarchs Lists of female office-holders Lists of clerics Lists of European people ...

Life

She was born in Meissen as the daughter of

Conrad, Margrave of Meissen Conrad I ( – 5 February 1157), called the Great (german: Konrad der Große), a member of the House of Wettin, was Margrave of Meissen from 1123 and Margrave of Lusatia from 1136 until his retirement in 1156. Initially a Saxon count, he became t ...

, and

Luitgard of Swabia Luitgard is a German female name. Origin The name comes from Old High German and means " emaleguardian of the people" (German: ''Beschützerin des Volks''). This derives, in its older form, ''Liutgard'', from ''liut'' which means "people" (Mode ...

. In 1184, she was elected successor to Princess-Abbess Adelaide III. Agnes was a significant patron of art, as well as miniaturist and engraver. During her reign, the nuns of

Quedlinburg Abbey Quedlinburg Abbey (german: Stift Quedlinburg or ) was a house of secular canonesses ''(Frauenstift)'' in Quedlinburg in what is now Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was founded in 936 on the initiative of Saint Mathilda, the widow of the East Frankis ...

made large curtains that are indispensable in the study of the art industry of the era. She also wrote and illuminated ''books for divine service.'' However, her greatest masterpiece was the manufacture of wall-hangings, of which one set was intended to be sent to the Pope; this tapestry is the best preserved piece of Romanesque textile. She died in

on 21 January 1203.

Legacy

Agnes is a featured figure on

Judy Chicago Judy Chicago (born Judith Sylvia Cohen; July 20, 1939) is an American feminist artist, art educator, and writer known for her large collaborative art installation pieces about birth and creation images, which examine the role of women in history ...

's installation piece ''

The Dinner Party ''The Dinner Party'' is an installation artwork by feminist artist Judy Chicago. Widely regarded as the first epic feminist artwork, it functions as a symbolic history of women in civilization. There are 39 elaborate place settings on a triangul ...

'', being represented as one of the 999 names on the '' Heritage Floor.''

References

External links

*
Silver pfennig of Agnes II von Meissen, abbess of Quedlinburg
in the collection of the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

. , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Agnes Ii Of Quedlinburg 12th-century German abbesses House of Wettin Abbesses of Quedlinburg 1139 births 1203 deaths German women artists Medieval German women artists 12th-century women artists 13th-century women artists 12th-century German artists 13th-century German abbesses 13th-century German artists Catholic painters Catholic engravers Female Catholic artists