  
  About the Artwork
  
  
  In this circular stained-glass panel (known as a roundel), two imposing armored bears flank the civic coat of arms of Brugg, Switzerland, dominated by a bridge and tower. Each bear carries a halberd, a staff weapon often associated with guards who protected important people or sites like gates and bridges. 
Brugg (which means &acirc;&#128;&#156;bridge&acirc;&#128;&#157; in the Swiss-German dialect) was named for its defining feature, which had offered important passage over the Aare River and through the Swiss Alps since Roman times. The tower of the medieval stone bridge, enlarged in 1532, still rises over Brugg&acirc;&#128;&#153;s skyline. For this roundel, Jakob Brunner used a variety of sophisticated techniques &acirc;&#128;&#148; including black enamel selectively scraped away to reveal the architectural details of the bridge and a golden stain made from silver nitrate &acirc;&#128;&#148; to portray this iconic symbol of his hometown in glowing translucent color.
  
  
  Title
  Coat of Arms of the Town of Brugg
  
  
  Artwork Date
  between 1565 and 1589
  
  Artist
  Attributed to Jakob Brunner
  
  
  
  Life Dates
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  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  Swiss
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
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  Medium
  Stained glass: pot metal; white glass with silver stain and enamel
  
  
  Dimensions
  Overall: 12 1/2 inches (31.8 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Stained Glass
  
  
  Department
  European Sculpture and Dec Arts
  
  
  Credit
  Gift of George G. Booth
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum&acirc;&#128;&#153;s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems&acirc;&#128;&#148;no longer assigned&acirc;&#128;&#148;that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  23.4
  
  
  Copyright
  Public Domain
  
  
  
