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In the Garden of Eden? Mineral lore and preaching in the Erzgebirge
Author(s) -
Haug Henrike
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
renaissance studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.117
H-Index - 16
eISSN - 1477-4658
pISSN - 0269-1213
DOI - 10.1111/rest.12585
Subject(s) - representation (politics) , transcendental number , variety (cybernetics) , aesthetics , art , perception , literature , archaeology , visual arts , history , philosophy , epistemology , computer science , artificial intelligence , law , politics , political science
The assessment of precious metals as well as the perception and appreciation of objects made from gold and silver is culturally shaped. Christian positions vary according to which aspect of the raw material is stressed. Gold, for example, can either be condemned as worldly luxury or interpreted as a visible manifestation and material indication of a transcendental divine being. Based on works of art made of silver ores that combine the representation of miners and their work with Christian scenes like the Crucifixion or Resurrection and contemporary written sources, this contribution will discuss the variety of interpretations and positions present in the mining region of the Ore Mountains in the sixteenth century, which could be reconciled only in part due to their inconsistency.