Kunz (Konrad also Conrad or Conrath) Lochner (1510 in

Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...

– buried 19 August 1567) was an eminent master plate

armourer Historically, an armourer is a person who makes personal armour, especially plate armour. In modern terms, an armourer is a member of a military or police force who works in an armoury and maintains and repairs small arms and weapons systems, ...

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...

and

silversmith A silversmith is a metalworker who crafts objects from silver. The terms ''silversmith'' and ''goldsmith'' are not exactly synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product may vary grea ...

from Nuremberg, Germany,

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars. From the accession of Otto I in 962 ...

. He was the son of a skillful armourer with the same name (d. 1527), and his two brothers Heinrich and Hans who were also skillful armourers and blacksmiths. In 1543, Lochner started working for the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I, and the following year he began his service at the future Maximilian II as court armourer. Lochner's workshop produced some of the most magnificent plate armours made during the 16th-century

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

period for field warfare,

tourney A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

and ceremonial occasions. Lochner's patrons included

royalty Royalty may refer to: * Any individual monarch, such as a king, queen, emperor, empress, etc. * Royal family, the immediate family of a king or queen regnant, and sometimes his or her extended family * Royalty payment for use of such things as int ...

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

s and

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

from across Europe. Armour crafted by Lochner, bearing Lochner's personal

hallmark A hallmark is an official mark or series of marks struck on items made of metal, mostly to certify the content of noble metals—such as platinum, gold, silver and in some nations, palladium. In a more general sense, the term '' hallmark'' can a ...

: a shield with demi-lion in dexter and bendy of six in sinister; similar is also his other personal hallmark: a shield with

lion rampant The lion is a common charge in heraldry. It traditionally symbolises courage, nobility, royalty, strength, stateliness and valour, because historically the lion has been regarded as the "king of beasts". The lion also carries Judeo-Chr ...

, or on stylistic grounds bearing the Nuremberg hallmark, can be found preserved in museums such as the Royal Armoury (Livrustkammaren) in Stockholm, the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Dresden State Art Collections (Dresden Armoury) in Dresden, the Army Museum (Paris), Army Museum in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Known preserved works

Parade armour for man and horse

The armour was crafted in 1550 for king Sigismund II Augustus of Poland. He was the last king of the old Jagiellonian dynasty. In his wills he divided his legacy between his sisters. One of them was Catherine Jagiellon, queen of Sweden, married to John III of Sweden. Since Poland didn't have a given heir to the throne, John III wanted his son Sigismund III Vasa, Sigismund to be the next successor. In the complicated process of choosing a new king, Catherine's sister Anna Jagiellon, Anna sent this armour to calm John III concerning the heritage and to ensure herself of support from Sweden. The armour remains of a full plate armour and barding, bard.

Gallery of preserved works

File:Rustning, Gustav Vasa - Livrustkammaren - 24359.tif, Armour of Gustav I of Sweden, dated back to 1540, preserved at the Swedish Royal Armoury, Stockholm File:Armor of Emperor Ferdinand I (1503–1564) MET DT773.jpg, ''Armor of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor'', created for Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, then-Archduke Ferdinand in 1549, preserved at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Known preserved works

Parade armour for man and horse

Gallery of preserved works

See also

References

Further reading