Altbayern, ca 1200
Sandstone
107,0 x 72,5 x 24,0 cm
Inv.-Nr. MA 121
Acquired in 1861
Gallery 1
Steingaden was founded in 1147 by the Margrave Welf VI, an uncle of Heinrich the Lion. The Guelphs were dukes of Bavaria from 1070 until Heinrich the Lion fell in 1180. Steingaden was used by the Guelphs as the family monastery and they were entombed there. Alongside seals on documents, this stone with the lion rampant is Germany's oldest heraldic artefact. During the 12th century the higher ranks of the German nobility came to adopt the Western European practice of using coats of arms, especially those bearing animals of martial significance like the eagle or the lion.