The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of June 30, 2022

Heraldic Roundel with Arms of the Canton of Zürich

1593

workshop of Hans Rütter

(Swiss, 1550-1610)

Switzerland, Zurich, late 16th Century

White glass with silver stain and pot metal

Diameter: 45.1 cm (17 3/4 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1955.71

Location

114 Late Northern Renaissance

Fun Fact

The coats-of-arms of 31 different Swiss towns and provinces are shown in the outer ring of this stained glass roundel. If you look closely, you can see flowers, lions, and a unicorn. What symbols would you choose for your own coat-of-arms?

Description

The large shield at center incorporating the double eagle (insignia of the Holy Roman Empire) is surrounded by thirty small shields-those of the wards of the city of Zurich. In the late 1400s, it was customary for neighboring Swiss towns and cantons to exchange panels of stained glass to promote closer political relationships.

Provenance
Lord Sudeley; Baron von Pannwitz; (Rosenberg & Stiebel, New York).
Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1955.71