PETER VISCHER
Renaissance work which ever issued from a Ger-
man workshop—the Rathaus Railing, destined to
be sold in the fulness of years and melted down
for the value of its metal !
The life of Peter Vischer was simple and do-
mestic, but very full of toil and trouble and private
grief made bearable perhaps by his absorbing
enthusiasm for his work. A few years before his
father’s death, probably in 1485, he married Mar-
garetha, daughter of Hans Gross. A document,
dated October 4th, 1490, gives us a slight glimpse
of her character. Therein her father records that
he makes a present to his daughter of the green
mantle and veil with which he had provided her
on her wedding day, but at the same time he binds
Peter Vischer with all the paraphernalia of judges,
witnesses and solemn pledges not to allow her to
sell or pawn the said articles. The date of this
document led to the erroneous conclusion that the
marriage only took place in 1489, but Dr. Seeger
has recently pointed out that on a medallion by
Peter Vischer the younger he expressly states that
he was twenty-two years of age when he wrought
it, and this in the year 1509. Since Neudérffer,
the Nuremberg Vasari, refers to Hermann as
“the famous Peter Vischer’s eldest? son,” the mar-
riage must have occurred somewhere about 1485.
There was also a third son by this union, known
afterwards as Hans der Giesser. Margaretha died
shortly after the birth of this last son, and in 1493
we find Peter married again to Dorothea von
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