Jost Amman
Who was Jost Amman?
Swiss printmaker (1539-1591)
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Jost Amman (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Jost Amman was born on June 13, 1539, in Zurich, Switzerland, and became one of the most productive graphic artists of the sixteenth century. He is best known for his woodcuts, which he created in large quantities, mainly as illustrations for books printed in and around Nuremberg. His work was so extensive that a contemporary once joked he made more drawings in a week than any other artist could in a year. Though probably exaggerated, this comment shows how amazed his peers were by his productivity.
Before Fame
Amman trained in Zurich before moving to Nuremberg around 1561, where he spent the rest of his career. At that time, Nuremberg was one of the top places for printing and publishing in the German-speaking world, with a booming trade in illustrated books. This made it a perfect place for an artist with Amman's skills. He joined the workshop of the publisher and woodcutter Virgil Solis. After Solis died in 1562, Amman took over the workshop and clientele, quickly becoming an essential part of the city's growing book trade.
Key Achievements
- Produced an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 woodcuts over the course of his career, making him one of the most prolific printmakers of the Renaissance period.
- Created the illustrations for 'Eygentliche Beschreibung aller Stände auff Erden' (1568), a landmark visual record of sixteenth-century trades and professions.
- Contributed extensive illustrations to major Nuremberg publishing projects, including large-scale illustrated Bibles and collections of emblems and heraldry.
- Worked successfully across multiple media including woodcut, etching, watercolor, glass painting, and stained glass design.
- Assumed direction of one of Nuremberg's leading printmaking workshops following the death of Virgil Solis in 1562, shaping the visual output of the city's book trade for decades.
Did You Know?
- 01.Amman was admitted to the Nuremberg painters' guild in 1577, a significant professional distinction for a foreign-born artist in that city.
- 02.He contributed more than 100 illustrations to the 1568 edition of the Bible published by Sigmund Feyerabend, one of the largest single illustration projects of his career.
- 03.His illustrated book 'Eygentliche Beschreibung aller Stände auff Erden' (1568), known in English as the 'Book of Trades,' depicted craftsmen and tradespeople at work and remains a primary visual document of sixteenth-century occupations.
- 04.Amman also worked extensively as a glass painter and designer of stained glass, demonstrating versatility well beyond his widely recognized work in print.
- 05.Despite his enormous professional success in Nuremberg, Amman died in relative financial difficulty on March 17, 1591, having struggled to manage his affairs in his later years.