The Portraits of the Fugger Family
In 1593, members of the famous Fugger family commissioned the Augsburg engraver Dominicus Custos (circa 1550–1612) to create this ambitious collection of family portraits. Using existing portraits as his models, Custos finished a first edition of the portraits in 1593. After his death, his sons-in-law, Lukas Kilian (1579–1637) and Wolfgang Kilian (1581–1662), expanded and updated the collection, replacing the portraits of some members of the family with new engravings depicting them in older age. This new edition was published in 1618. This copy was purchased by the Bavarian State Library from the Fugger family in 2009 and now forms part of its holdings. The work contains 138 engravings, representing the complete editions of 1593 and 1618, as well as two addenda from the 1620 edition. All engravings were expertly hand-colored by an unknown artist. The Fuggers were a German banking and mercantile dynasty that traced its origins to Hans (Johannes) Fugger (1348–1409), an Augsburg weaver. The family dominated European business in the 15th and 16th centuries and wielded great political influence through its loans to kings and emperors, from England’s Henry VIII to the House of Hapsburg.
Title in Original Language
Fuggerorum et Fuggerarum ... imagines
Type of Item
I + 142 + I sheets, paper : illustrations ; 35.2 x 25.2 centimeters
- BSB shelfmark: Cod.icon. 380
Last updated: May 24, 2017