Bamberger Kunst und Antiquitäten GbR

SAINT BARBARA

Tilman Riemenschneider and workshop

Würzburg, c. 1510

Relief, lime wood, original polychromy

Height: 142 cm

Exhibition: Mainfränkisches Museum Würzburg, 1980

Paris, around 1715-1730

The cast, costly chased Régence chandeliers are worked of an unusual and sophisticated design. The octagonal base is connected to the round grommet by a three-sided shaft. The candlesticks are characterized by silver work from their period.

Height: 25 cm

around 1740

Walnut, plum, yew, birch vein

The elegantly curved front and the rounded corners are decorated with rich strapwork, thoroughly characteristic of the high-quality furniture art of Austria in the mid-18^th century.

The original, gilt key plates are worked in fine Régence-ornamentation, influenced by the Viennese goldsmith's art of their time.

Provenance: Art trade of Josef Bierstorfer, Munich, shown in the catalog of the 14^th Munich Art and Antiques Fair, 1969, p. 131.

Literature: Heinrich Kreisel and Georg Himmelheber, Die Kunst des deutschen Möbels, part II, Spätbarock und Rokoko, Munich 1983, pp. 226-227, figs. 683-685. 

Height: 245 cm, width: approx. 200 cm, depth: 70 cm

Nuremberg, around 1600, signed on the movable strip covering the lock: “MICHEL MANN”

This fully signed, particularly beautiful small box, an example of the great specialty of the Nuremberg gunsmith and art locksmith Michel Mann, is engraved on all sides. On the lid, a gentleman greets a lady; perhaps the box was made as a love gift. Dancing and musical figures adorn the sides, and a leaping deer is depicted at the bottom - a reference to hunting.

Inside the lid, there is a costly lock with four latches, typical of Mann's production. This miniature version of a treasure chest was possibly intended for the storage of jewels or precious stones, but is rather conceived as a refined art object, suitable to be picked up and admired in all its peculiarities.

Brass, copper and iron, partly fire-gilt and blued

Height: 4.6 cm, width: 7.3 cm

Paris, around 1750

stamped Jacques Dubois (around 1693-1763, master since 1742)

Lacquer furniture was a specialty of the famous cabinetmaker Jacques Dubois. He used lacquers from Japan and China as well as French imitations in the so-called vernis Martin. The red lacquered corner cabinets are veneered with unusual French lacquer panels. Although their black background is reminiscent of Asian models, the realistic scenes with large Turkish figures however are completely European in character. The elegantly gilt bronzes are characteristic of Dubois' work.

Height: 82 cm, leg: 40 cm, depth: 38 cm

Berlin 1825

The large, crater-shaped vase has a base imitating lapis lazuli and is richly and diversely gilt on all sides with polished and engraved ornamentation. The gilt Prussian eagle on the front of the magnificent vessel bears the profile portrait of Princess Luise of Prussia, daughter of Frederick William III and Queen Luise, who was married to Prince Frederick of the Netherlands in 1825. The central medallion “Biscuit” is framed on the outer garb with a lush, very delicate, fully sculpted rosary.

The model for the portrait “en relief” was created by Leonhard Posch in 1825 for Princess Luise's wedding.

Wilhelm III ordered the vase for himself; it is listed in the KPM archives in Berlin with the invoice date August 5, 1825.

After the king's death in 1840, the vase was inherited by his daughter Luise and came from her to the House of Wied upon the marriage of her daughter Mary, Princess of the Netherlands, to Prince William of Wied on July 18, 1871, where it remained in the possession of the Wied Princes until a few years ago.

Marks: Sceptre in underglaze blue, KPM with eagle with sceptre and crown in purple.

SPSG, KPM-Archiv (Land Berlin), file no. 353, Prestiosa 2, Conto Buch Sr. Majestät des Königs. 1818 - 1850, fol. 120v

Height: 43 cm, diameter: 28.5 cm, foot 16.5 cm x 16.5 cm

set with diamonds and rubies

Dresden, around 1725-1740

The downwards-tapering tobacco tin has an architectural form. The base and lid are cut from one agate and the handle is set with precious stones. The golden wall is finely chased with a surrounding garden landscape, with pavilions, a fountain designed as a swan and strolling guests.

Marked with: unidentified master's mark “LM”

Height: 3.8 cm, width: 5.5 cm, depth: 4.5 cm

probably Kassel around 1755-1765

The Rococo mirrors are designed individually asymmetrical but mirror each other and therefore form a harmonious ensemble as a pair. The fine, feather-like carving of both mirrors is influenced by the Rococo style of Frederick the Great.

Johann August Nahl worked in Potsdam until 1755 and then moved to Kassel, where he worked for Landgrave Wilhelm VIII of Hesse; these two frames could have been produced in Nahl's workshop.

The original faceted mirror glass and the gilding have been preserved.

Literature: Heinrich Kreisel and Georg Himmelheber, Die Kunst des deutschen Möbels, part II, Spätbarock und Rokoko, Munich 1983, pp. 253-256, cf. figs. 746, 748.

Height: 76 cm, width: 42.5 cm

France, around 1730-1745

The large, richly carved console table is decorated with detailed engraved rocailles intertwined with olive branches. In the center of the base is a lavish cartouche decorated with flowers and leaves, which echoes the movement of the entire table.

The original marble top and gilding are well preserved.

Height: 85 cm, width: 150 cm, depth: 70 cm

Design by Karl Frederick Schinkel

Berlin, probably manufactured by Carl August Mencke, around 1835

The chandelier is made of wood, wood bronze and cast metal. It is originally gilt and decorated with crystal hangings.

This combination of materials is typical for the works of Mencke's manufactory, who had patented a process for producing a wood-like mass, so-called wood bronze, by King Frederick Wilhelm II in 1815.

A comparable chandelier, also attributed to Schinkel, can be found in the living room of the “garlic house” in Berlin (Berlin Municipal Museum Foundation).

Provenance: From the estate of the descendants of Frederick Ludwig Mecklenburg (1821-1884), ennobled in 1871, who was probably a son of Grand Duke Frederick Franz I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and married to Bertha von Hünerbein.

Cf. Klappenbach/Hartmann/Kropmanns, Kronleuchter des 17. bis 20. Jahrhunderts, Regensburg 2019, pp. 188-189 and 195-200, fig. 113.

Height: 120 cm, diameter: 120 cm

Paris around 1780

Attributed to Godefroy Dester (master from 1774-1805)

Godefroy Dester, probably of German origin, produced a series of stamped and unstamped desks of exactly this form and a number of cylindrical bureaux, whose the lower part follows the same model. The elegant, restrained form of the furniture, the very high-quality mahogany veneer and the gilt fittings on all sides are characteristic of the English-influenced Parisian furniture production of the late "Former Regime".

Literature: Pierre Kjellberg, Le mobilier français du XVIIIe siècle, Paris 1998, cf. p. 260, fig. C.

Height : 77 cm, width : 164 cm, depth : 75 cm, drawers on both sides 40 x 60 cm

Paris, around 1750

stamped Jean-Charles Saunier (Master since 1743)

The powerfully curved chest of drawers is veneered with lush floral marquetry, which decorates the body with its large flowers on a beautifully grained ground in curved frames.

Both drawers merge “sans travers” in their movement and refined decoration. The strongly backward curved sides conceal the imposing size of this elegant piece.

The Saunier family of artists was one of the best-known furniture makers in the exclusive Parisian furniture scene.

Jean-Charles Saunier worked in his father's workshop in the Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine and was also frequently commissioned by colleagues. This particularly high-quality chest of drawers could also be a delivery to his colleague Jean-François Oeben, who in turn often delivered to the cabinetmaker Jean-Pierre Latz (1691-1754). Several high-quality chest of drawers by the Saunier family have been preserved in public collections.

Provenance: Old private collection, Geneva; Sotheby's Zurich auction, December 10, 1997, lot 795 (figure on catalog cover); Swiss private collection

Oak, veneered with rosewood, amaranth, satinwood, ebony and rosewood, original fittings in fire-gilt bronze, original top in marble Rouge de France.

Height: 87 cm, width: 147 cm, depth: 61 cm

around 1740

Walnut, plum, yew, birch vein

The elegantly curved front and the rounded corners are decorated with rich strapwork, thoroughly characteristic of the high-quality furniture art of Austria in the mid-18^th century.

The original, gilt key plates are worked in fine Régence-ornamentation, influenced by the Viennese goldsmith's art of their time.

Provenance: Art trade of Josef Bierstorfer, Munich, shown in the catalog of the 14^th Munich Art and Antiques Fair, 1969, p. 131.

Literature: Heinrich Kreisel and Georg Himmelheber, Die Kunst des deutschen Möbels, part II, Spätbarock und Rokoko, Munich 1983, pp. 226-227, figs. 683-685. 

Height: 245 cm, width: approx. 200 cm, depth: 70 cm

Paris, around 1750

stamped Jacques Dubois (around 1693-1763, master since 1742)

Lacquer furniture was a specialty of the famous cabinetmaker Jacques Dubois. He used lacquers from Japan and China as well as French imitations in the so-called vernis Martin. The red lacquered corner cabinets are veneered with unusual French lacquer panels. Although their black background is reminiscent of Asian models, the realistic scenes with large Turkish figures however are completely European in character. The elegantly gilt bronzes are characteristic of Dubois' work.

Height: 82 cm, leg: 40 cm, depth: 38 cm

France, around 1730-1745

The large, richly carved console table is decorated with detailed engraved rocailles intertwined with olive branches. In the center of the base is a lavish cartouche decorated with flowers and leaves, which echoes the movement of the entire table.

The original marble top and gilding are well preserved.

Height: 85 cm, width: 150 cm, depth: 70 cm

Paris around 1780

Attributed to Godefroy Dester (master from 1774-1805)

Godefroy Dester, probably of German origin, produced a series of stamped and unstamped desks of exactly this form and a number of cylindrical bureaux, whose the lower part follows the same model. The elegant, restrained form of the furniture, the very high-quality mahogany veneer and the gilt fittings on all sides are characteristic of the English-influenced Parisian furniture production of the late "Former Regime".

Literature: Pierre Kjellberg, Le mobilier français du XVIIIe siècle, Paris 1998, cf. p. 260, fig. C.

Height : 77 cm, width : 164 cm, depth : 75 cm, drawers on both sides 40 x 60 cm

Paris, around 1750

stamped Jean-Charles Saunier (Master since 1743)

The powerfully curved chest of drawers is veneered with lush floral marquetry, which decorates the body with its large flowers on a beautifully grained ground in curved frames.

Both drawers merge “sans travers” in their movement and refined decoration. The strongly backward curved sides conceal the imposing size of this elegant piece.

The Saunier family of artists was one of the best-known furniture makers in the exclusive Parisian furniture scene.

Jean-Charles Saunier worked in his father's workshop in the Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine and was also frequently commissioned by colleagues. This particularly high-quality chest of drawers could also be a delivery to his colleague Jean-François Oeben, who in turn often delivered to the cabinetmaker Jean-Pierre Latz (1691-1754). Several high-quality chest of drawers by the Saunier family have been preserved in public collections.

Provenance: Old private collection, Geneva; Sotheby's Zurich auction, December 10, 1997, lot 795 (figure on catalog cover); Swiss private collection

Oak, veneered with rosewood, amaranth, satinwood, ebony and rosewood, original fittings in fire-gilt bronze, original top in marble Rouge de France.

Height: 87 cm, width: 147 cm, depth: 61 cm

Jean-Francois Hache

France, Grenoble, mid-18^th century

The small salon table is made of solid cherry and has a gray and white scagliola top with marbled, engraved seal-red ornaments and tendrils.

Since the 17^th century, scagliola has been a costly method of producing a more lightweight substitute for marble. It was highly appreciated for columns, fireplace frames, and table tops and could be artfully colored to suit the desired rooms.

The table was originally owned by the Gailand banking family.

Height: 75 cm, width: 75 cm, depth: 64 cm

around 1720

The large cabinet, veneered in walnut and burr walnut, shows the allegory of Strength and Loyalty inlaid in ivory on the doors. The two allegorical figures stand on pewter pedestals and are framed by birds, busts and small ornamental motifs, also in ivory.

Ivory gives the high-quality veneer work an additional exotic and value-enhancing accent and was a sought-after feature of 18^th century Brunswick furniture art.

The engravings on the ivory, on the pewter consoles and on the strapwork have been excellently preserved to this day. The cabinet comes from a noble estate in Lower Saxony.

Height: 235 cm, width: 211 cm, depth: 73 cm

Venice, circa 1750

This delicate pair of chests of drawers with their three drawers and artful heavily crownings show the refined and typical Venetian style of the mid-18^th century.

The pair of furniture is veneered in walnut and plum; the original bronze fittings have remnants of old gilding.

Height 73 cm, width 70 cm

with silver-plated fittings

Montbéliard, around 1750

stamped Abraham Nicolas Couleru (1716-1812)

The special feature of this small Louis XV chest of drawers, whose form and decoration follow examples from Paris, is the lush and rich silver-plated fittings that characterize this piece of furniture. The county and correspondent town of Mömpelgard, which became evangelical during Luther's lifetime, belonged to the House of Württemberg from 1397 – 1793.

This chest of drawers was made for the Dukes of Württemberg and was a gift to Margrave Carl Frederick of Baden-Durlach (1728-1811), who later became Elector and, from 1806, Grand Duke of Baden. Carl Frederick was born in Karlsruhe and remained under the guardianship of his grandmother Margravine Magdalena Wilhelmine of Württemberg after the early death of his father. Attaining his majority on November 22, 1746, he assumed the regency.

The two similarly silver-plated keys show the Margrave's monogram.

Height: 82 cm, width: 65 cm, depth 43 cm

signed Johan Frantz Miller, 1771

The writing cabinet with two drawers bears an adhesive label with the inscription 'Johann Frantz Miller Anno 1771, May 25 in Berlin' and is therefore a rare example of signed Berlin furniture from the second half of the 18^th century.

It can be assumed that the piece of furniture is Miller's masterpiece, as it corresponds very closely to the design drawing executed by master cabinetmaker Hager in 1768, which was required by the Berlin cabinetmakers' guild to obtain the title of master craftsman.

The writing cabinet is one of the few surviving masterpieces. Hager's design drawing and the high perfection of the construction of our piece of furniture, as well as the very high-quality selection of the veneer patterns, speak for a masterpiece.

Walnut, walnut burl, maple, rosewood, fire-gilt brass fittings

Height: 230 cm, width: 132 cm, depth: 72 cm

Paris around 1810

attributed to the workshop of Georges-Alphonse Jacob-Desmalter (1790-1870)

The chairs of antique models vary in an artistic manner. The backrest and the sabre-shaped front legs are based on the Greek type of the Klismos chair. The richly carved refined seating furniture probably originated from the leading Parisian chairmaking workshop of the Jacob dynasty, which was run by Georges-Alphonse Jacob-Desmalter from 1803.

Height: 89 cm, seat height: 44 cm, width: 49 cm, depth: 43 cm

Bruchsal, attributed to Johann Wolfgang Elias Weinsprach (1712 Öhringen - 1776 Bruchsal) around 1770

Walnut, plum, pear, maple, boxwood, bog oak, and ivory, partially engraved and fire-shaded;

This magnificent, very richly processed cylinder bureau shows a garden hall in the center of the cylinder with a view of a landscape.  The hall shows the interior of a castle, which is depicted above the cylinder. The theme of a country castle amid nature dominates the entire front of the piece of furniture. The central scene is flanked by bouquets of flowers and vases.

The middle drawer front shows a manor house with a sawmill, while the side drawers are veneered with marquetry of everyday scenes and festive scenes that take place in front of or inside the farm buildings.

The furniture probably made for the Bruchsal castle is attributed to Johann Elias Weinsprach, who was the courtly cabinetmaker for Franz Christoph von Hutten, Prince-Bishop of Speyer.

Other opulently constructed writing cabinets from Bruchsal castle have been preserved in public collections.

A relationship to the famous Roentgen furniture for Johann Philipp von Walderdorff, Archbishop and Elector of Trier, is given.

Literature: Heinrich Kreisel and Georg Himmelheber, Die Kunst des deutschen Möbels, part II, Spätbarock und Rokoko, Munich 1983, pp. 205-208, figs. 574-579.

Height: 115 cm, width: 113 cm, depth: 60 cm