Rudolf von Scherenberg

Rudolf II von Scherenberg
Prince-Bishop of Würzburg
Detail of tomb of Rudolf von Scherenberg by Tilman Riemenschneider) in Würzburg Cathedral (1496-1499).
See	Würzburg
Appointed	20 June 1466
Installed	28 September 1466
Term ended	29 April 1495
Predecessor	Johann von Grumbach
Successor	Lorenz von Bibra
Orders
Consecration	28 September 1466 by Heinrich von Absberg
Personal details
Born	c.1401 Würzburg
Died	29 April 1495(1495-04-29) (aged 93–94)
Denomination	Roman Catholic

Detail of face from tomb.

Detail of tomb

Rudolf II von Scherenberg (c. 1401 – 1495) was Bishop of Würzburg from 1466 until his death. His longevity (about 94) and long reign were significant.

Rudolf von Scherenberg was the son of Erhard von Scherenberg and Anna von Massbach. On April 30, 1466, he was appointed as bishop to replace Johann von Grumbach. He was confirmed as bishop on June 20, 1466. The Scherenberg Gate at the Fortress Marienberg, the entrance to the main courtyard, is named after him.

Detail of tomb of Lorenz von Bibra by Tilman Riemenschneider in Würzburg Cathedral

entire tomb

Tomb

Prince-Bishop von Scherenberg is best known because of his tomb in Würzburg Cathedral. On his death in 1495 , his successor, Lorenz von Bibra, commissioned Tilman Riemenschneider to make his monument. Later, von Bibra also commissioned his own tomb from Riemenschneider a few yards away from von Scherenberg’s. Today, the two monumental effigies stand side by side, same stone and motif, but in two different styles, late Gothic and Renaissance. One way to illustrate the change of styles is to compare the faces of the two prince-bishops: von Scherenberg’s face shows every wrinkle, while von Bibra's face is idealized. After Riemenschneider had died and was generally forgotten, these two tombs remained his best-known works. Riemenschneider was later rediscovered by the Germans and more recently by the rest of the world.

References

• Chapuis, J., 1999: Tilman Riemenschneider: Master Sculptor of the Late Middle Ages. National Gallery London Publications ISBN 0-300-08162-6 ; ISBN 978-0-300-08162-6
• Wendehorst, A., 1978: Das Bistum Würzburg: Teil 3. Die Bischofsreihe von 1455 -1617 (pp. 20–51) ISBN 3-11-007475-3

External links

• Link to two biographies in German
• Coat-of-Arms from the Festung Marienburg from Dr. Berhard Peter
• Erik Soder von Güldenstubbe (1995). "Scherenberg, Rudolf von". In Bautz, Traugott. Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) (in German) 9. Herzberg: Bautz. cols. 154–157. ISBN 3-88309-058-1. 
• Victoria & Albert web page on cast copy of tomb
• Beautiful photo of cast of tomb at Victoria & Albert Museum