Daniel Lindtmayer

Johann Wilhelm Veith, 1758-1833 (?);
D. Schindler, by 1876 (L.793);
Freidrich Bürki,
his sale, Basel, 1881;
sale, Berlin, Amsler & Ruthardt, 24 April, 1895, lot 33;
sale, Berlin, Amsler & Ruthardt, 25-7 June, 1908, lot 309;
Prince Liechtenstein, Vienna, circa 1930

Munich, Münchener Glaspalast, Katalog für die Ausstellung der Werke älterer Meister, 1876, part II, no. 2579;
Schaffhausen, Museum zu Allerheiligen, Daniel Lindtmayer 1552-1606, Handzeichnugen, 1952, catalogue by H. von Ziegler, no. 110

F. Warnecke, Musterblätter für Künstler und Gewerbetreibende, part II, 1883, fig. 75;
F. Thöne, Daniel Lindtmayer 1552 - 1606/07, Munich/Zürich 1975, p. 193, cat. no. 170, fig. 217

Unframed. Fixed to mount in all three corners. Vertical crease down centre. Some abrasion towards bottom and a little at top centre. A few minor stains and losses down left edge. Some surface dirt, but overall condition good and strong.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

In Lindtmayer's time, the leading Swiss member of the Habsberg family was Hans Hartmann von Habsberg, Chief Magistrate of Badenweiler, who may have commissioned this design.  Other similar panels with motifs of battles with the Turks are also known from this period.  For much of the 16th century, the Habsberg rulers of Austria were engaged in relentless wars with the Ottoman Turks. Following their crushing defeat at the maritime Battle of Lepanto in 1571, the Ottomans were briefly subdued, but resumed their westward campaigns in earnest in 1593 -- the beginning of the 13-year-long Great Hungarian War. The present drawing was therefore made at a time when the immediate threat from the Turks had receded somewhat, but they remained an ever-present concern.  Another drawing by Lindtmayer in Munich, also dated 1587, shows an extremely similar composition, though with only Europeans engaged in battle.¹ 

Like so many specialist designers of glass panels, Daniel Lindtmayer's first teacher was his father, Felix, who was also a celebrated master of this particular art form. The elder Lindtmayer's achievements were, however, soon eclipsed by those of his son, who became one of the most highly regarded of all the 16th-century Swiss artists who made glass designs. Another important early influence on Daniel Lindtmayer came from Tobias Stimmer, who worked in Schaffhausen and then Basel, where Lindtmayer also established himself in about 1574. Stylistically, his mature works are characterised by a richness of composition and highly elaborate architectural strapwork borders, as well as by an exceptional energy of line.

In 1588, Lindtmayer married the widow of Werner Kübler (see lot 27). His later life seems to have been somewhat turbulent. In 1595 he was accused of attempting to murder a goldsmith named Stülz in Constance, but escaped punishment on grounds of insanity.

1. Thöne, op.cit., cat. no. 169, fig. 216