Virgil Solis
Virgil Solis, Virgilius Solis also (* 1514 in Nuremberg, † August 1, 1562 ) was a German artist and engraver.
Life
Virgil Solis grew up as the son of a painter had moved to Nuremberg. In his time as he visited Augsburg certainly, but perhaps also Zurich and Rome. The latter is suspected because of its mixture klassizierender and baroque ornamentation. He married in 1539, was 1540 champion, and began in his workshop with many apprentices, including to unfold soon the own sons an unusual productivity. His oeuvre estimated to 700 woodcuts and engravings in 1300. Due to its preparatory work and a good incorporation of his aides, the workshop was a good ten years produce still new about his death in 1562 also, the illustrations to Ovid's Metamorphoses (183 woodcuts ) and illustrated Biblia, which is the gantze Heylige Scriptures Teutsch D. Mart. Lut. (140 woodcuts ). His monogram, a V, in whose right leg is an S intertwined, became the workshop character beyond his death.
To run the fullness of his orders to Solis served increasingly rationalizing measures. So he designed for the 170 Ovid illustrations about half a dozen mounts, so with rolling and rolling mill, putti, animals and herbal elements filled the context in which he included the various illustrations. For of princes he sawed a block of wood and then used the lower part to other portraits. This serial production itself Solis proved to be skillful and imaginative Rationalisierer in the satisfaction of the early modern massively increasing image needs.
Due to its random sequences with leaves, roll and strip mill, mugs, and use pieces Solis became a much copied template suppliers for gold and silversmiths, for engravers, chasers, Tauschierer and Nielleure through his illustrations, by his princes and Söldnerbildnisse, his heraldic Collections his usual time series ( planet Muses, temperaments, seasons, months, liberal arts, etc.), its landscapes, depictions of rarities, bookplates and playing cards, he was one of the best known, most popular and most illustrators of his time. Right Balthasar Jenichen let his master therefore say under the portrait:
Without scruples Solis served its part of famous role models, especially the woodcuts Dürer. But by Hans Sebald Beham, Peter Flötner, Heinrich Aldegrever, Georg Pencz, Martin Schongauer, Hans Brosamer, Francesco Marcolini, Theodor Galle, Hans Holbein the Younger, Albrecht Altdorfer, Augustin Hirschvogel, Urs Graf, Niklaus Manuel German, Jacques du Cerceau and Cornelis Floris he had to encourage, where he transferred the templates in each case independently. Here, " he switched with foreign ideas quite freely, varying the scooped from suggestions, grouped and composed around and finally made something new out of it, which he breathed his spirit. "
With increasing work pressure, of course, the number of foreign hands, which has had to operate Solis to fulfill all orders on time grew. After his death, the workshop consumed far from his originals and his good name, especially as his widow had married the journeyman Balthasar Jenichen. To his actual heirs and successors but was Jost Ammann, who had come a year before Solis ' death to Nuremberg and settled there permanently.
Works (selection)
- Because of several gutter conterfectischer Laubwerck type 1553 ( templates for driving and tooling of goldsmiths )
- Passio vnsers Men of Jesus Christ. Drawn from the four Evangelists, etc.. Valentin Geyssler, Nuremberg 1553
- Coat of arms book in honor of Rom. Kay. and Kings. , 1555, 1882 in the Hirth 's lovers library appeared again.
- Biblia, which is the gantze Heylige Scriptures Teutsch D. Mart. Lut. Publisher of Sigmund Feyerabend, Frankfurt am Main, 1560
- P. Ovidii Metamorphosis Or: useful and fun to read Wunderbarliche unnd seltzame description of the people and other creatures Thiern modification, etc., all poets, painters, gold Schmiden, Bildhauwern and lovers of the noble Poesi and fürnembsten arts. Sigmund Feyerabend, Frankfurt am Main 1563, 1581