Emailglas

After the double-headed eagle had become the symbol of the Empire (introduced in the seal of Emperor Sigismund in 1433), the Imperial Eagle was very often depicted as Quaternion Eagle. In this popular representation, the entire Empire is symbolically represented by the eagle under whose wings the estates of the Holy Roman Empire unite. As it proved quite difficult even at the time to explain the Empire’s complex structure and organisation to contemporaries, the quaternions were considered a viable model to illustrate the Empire’s structure. To facilitate understanding, fictitious groups of four Imperial Estates each were formed: the Quaternions. This depiction became very popular, spreading quickly via broadsheets and illustrated armorial books, and from the second half of the 16th century, it was increasingly used on the popular Imperial Eagle beakers. The Imperial Eagle was a decorative expression of the longing for the durable unity of the Holy Roman Empire and demonstrated the emotional attachment of large groups of society to the Empire. This attachment to the Empire and its bodies was particularly pronounced among the ‘common people’ and the lesser imperial estates. Hence, Imperial Eagle beakers were primarily used among the gentry, the lower nobility and the bourgeoisie, such as patricians and the guild members in the cities. Painting an imperial eagle beaker was considered a masterpiece for fellows of the guild across the entire empire: from Bohemia to Saxony, Hesse, the Thuringian Forest and the Fichtel Mountains. Until 1750, painters used woodcuts from the late 14th century as models. A comparable Imperial Eagle beaker can be found in the holdings of the Kunstkammer at the Kunsthistorisches Museum (inventory number 10237).