Hans Süß von
Kulmbach

painter, graphic artist

born Kulmbach, um 1482

died Nürnberg, 1522

* c. 1482 Kulmbach - died between 29. 11. a. 3. 12. 1522 Nuremberg.

On his journeyman journey before 1503 he seems to have stayed in the circle of Lucas Cranach the Elder and Jacobo de Barbari. After Albrecht Dürer's return from Italy in 1507, he joined his workshop as a journeyman. Joachim von Sandrart referred to him as Albrecht Dürer's "Discipel". On 15.3.1511 he became a citizen as Hanns Sues and presumably set up his own workshop in the same year. Since Dürer accepted only sporadic painting commissions in the second decade of the 16th century, Hans von Kulmbach took his place, whereby his workshop, similar to Wolgemut earlier, also supplied complete painted and carved altars. Sometimes he worked from Dürer drawings, as with the Tuchere epitaph in St. Sebald. In 1511 and 1514-16 he carried out altar commissions from Cracow. Around 1517 he painted the walls of the house chapel of Anton II. He brought Nuremberg stained glass to a final climax in association with Dürer on the Emperor's and Margrave's Window in St. Sebald's Church. His activity as a designer of woodcuts is disputed in research.

On 3.12.1522 his executor acknowledged the balance of a claim to Stefan Gabler for a painted panel. On 26.2.1515 he took over a property (mortgage) of 52 fl. with 2 fl. annual interest on the dwelling of the red smith Sebald Beheim the Elder "auf dem Schießgraben im sterzenbach genennt" (Stelzengasse). Panzer recorded his portrait.

(quoted from the Nuremberg Künstlerlexikon, edited by Manfred H. Grieb)

Period: 16th c.