Nuremberg under Charles IV

In 1366, Emperor Charles IV referred to Nuremberg as the "most distinguished city of the Empire." By that time, he had long chosen the free imperial city as his second residence after Prague, the capital of Bohemia. He succeeded in involving the urban elites in his plans and leveraging their economic ambitions. Members of the prominent Nuremberg families owned branches in Prague or held ecclesiastical benefices and court offices. Jirí Fajt delves into this web of relationships to explore the imperial influence on Nuremberg's artistic creation. For Charles IV employed a court painter here, Sebald Weinschröter, whose workshop also catered to the demands of those families who considered themselves close to the emperor and sought to express this connection through artistic representation. The extensive trade contacts of the Nuremberg merchants are indirectly reflected in this.