Hermann Ruissel or Herman Ruissel (c. 1360 - c. 1420) was a medieval Parisian goldsmith who crafted jewelry for the King of France and other persons of high rank. From 1385 to 1389 Ruissel crafted jewellery mainly for

Philip the Bold Philip II the Bold (; ; 17 January 1342 – 27 April 1404) was Duke of Burgundy and ''jure uxoris'' Count of Flanders, Artois and Burgundy. He was the fourth and youngest son of King John II of France and Bonne of Luxembourg. Philip II w ...

.After 1389 he also executed works for

Charles VI of France Charles VI (3 December 136821 October 1422), nicknamed the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé) and later the Mad (french: le Fol or ''le Fou''), was King of France from 1380 until his death in 1422. He is known for his mental illness and psychotic ...

and his brother

Louis I, Duke of Orléans Louis I of Orléans (13 March 1372 – 23 November 1407) was Duke of Orléans from 1392 to his death. He was also Duke of Touraine (1386–1392), Count of Valois (1386?–1406) Blois (1397–1407), Angoulême (1404–1407 ...

and Louis's wife

Valentina Visconti, Duchess of Orléans Valentina Visconti (1371 – 4 December 1408) was a countess of Vertus, and duchess consort of Orléans as the wife of Louis I, Duke of Orléans, the younger brother of King Charles VI of France. As duchess of Orléans she was at court and acqu ...

. From 1390, he held the court title of ''

Valet de chambre ''Valet de chambre'' (), or ''varlet de chambre'', was a court appointment introduced in the late Middle Ages, common from the 14th century onwards. Royal households had many persons appointed at any time. While some valets simply waited on t ...

'' to Charles VI. Among Ruissel's early works is the '' Three Brothers'', created in 1389 for Philip's eventual successor

John the Fearless John I (french: Jean sans Peur; nl, Jan zonder Vrees; 28 May 137110 September 1419) was a scion of the French royal family who ruled the Burgundian State from 1404 until his death in 1419. He played a key role in French national affairs durin ...

. The ''Brothers'' (now lost) were for a time part of the

Crown Jewels of England The Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, originally the Crown Jewels of England, are a collection of royal ceremonial objects kept in the Tower of London which include the coronation regalia and vestments worn by British monarchs. Symbols of o ...

. The piece consisted of three rectangular red spinels of 70 carats each in a triangular arrangement, separated by three round white pearls of 10-20 carats each, with another pearl suspended from the lowest spinel. The middle of the pendant was a deep blue diamond cut as a pyramid or octahedron, and weighing about 30 carats. Charles VI commissioned 32 works by Ruissel. 17 of these commissions stipulated that a duplicate of the work be made for his younger brother, Louis I, Duke of Orléans, as a gift. Ruissel made 18 gold buttons decorated with broom flowers and heraldic

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

s for the 1396 marriage of

Isabella of Valois Isabella of France (9 November 1389 – 13 September 1409) was Queen of England as the wife of Richard II, King of England between 1396 and 1399, and Duchess (consort) of Orléans as the wife of Charles, Duke of Orléans from 1406 until her ...

to King Richard II of England. In 1400, Ruissel was commissioned to make a large image of the

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God th ...

for Charles, using jewels – scores of pearls, and also diamonds, rubies, and sapphires – taken from a

brooch A brooch (, also ) is a decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to garments, often to fasten them together. It is usually made of metal, often silver or gold or some other material. Brooches are frequently decorated with enamel or with g ...

in the form of a white-enameled golden

hart Hart often refers to: * Hart (deer) Hart may also refer to: Organizations * Hart Racing Engines, a former Formula One engine manufacturer * Hart Skis, US ski manufacturer * Hart Stores, a Canadian chain of department stores * Hart's Reptile Wo ...

and large golden collar which Richard II had given to Charles, and which Charles had had disassembled and melted down shortly after Richard's 1400 deposition and death. Ruissel also made the piece now known as the '' Calvary of King

Matthias Corvinus Matthias Corvinus, also called Matthias I ( hu, Hunyadi Mátyás, ro, Matia/Matei Corvin, hr, Matija/Matijaš Korvin, sk, Matej Korvín, cz, Matyáš Korvín; ), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. After conducting several m ...

'', a crucifix executed in gold, white enamel, pearls, and other gems, made using the ''

Ronde-bosse ''Ronde-bosse'', ''en ronde bosse'' or encrusted enamel is an enamelling technique developed in France in the late 14th century that produces small three-dimensional figures, or reliefs, largely or entirely covered in enamel. The new method in ...

'' technique.

Margaret III, Countess of Flanders Margaret III (13 April 1350 – 16/21 March 1405) was a ruling Countess of Flanders, Countess of Artois, and Countess of Auvergne and Boulogne between 1384 and 1405. She was the last Countess of Flanders of the House of Dampierre. She was al ...

, commissioned the work as a gift celebrating the New Year in 1403 for her husband, Phillip the Bold. It is now in the treasury of Esztergom Basilica in Hungary. For Henry V of England Ruissel created a golden necklace with white enamel bears, which were one of Henry's

heraldic devices A heraldic badge, emblem, impresa, device, or personal device worn as a badge indicates allegiance to, or the property of, an individual, family or corporate body. Medieval forms are usually called a livery badge, and also a cognizance. They are ...

. The necklace was later gifted to Sigismund of Luxembourg, King of Germany and Hungary, on the occasion of his visit to England in 1416.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruissel, Hermann 1300s births French goldsmiths Artists from Paris