Jaël c. 1525 - 1550

This small bronze plaquette depicting Jaël was made by Peter Flötner in Nuremberg, sometime in the first half of the 16th century. Flötner was a master of many materials, and here his skills as a goldsmith and medalist are on full display. The image is created in low relief, meaning that the forms project only slightly from the surface. It would have been made by casting from a mold, which was itself carved in a more tractable material like wood or wax. The final bronze would then have been chased, or worked on the surface with small tools to sharpen the details. The subject of Jaël, who in the Old Testament slays the enemy general Sisera, was popular at the time, carrying a strong message of female power. But its significance is also found in the material. Bronze was a costly substance, and expertise like Flötner’s was highly valued, making this small object a potent signifier of wealth and status. It shows that the true value of art is often found in its making and its original context, not just in the image it presents.