Antiques

369 Elemente

Monumental Brunswick Baroque cabinet from Langenstein Castle

Coniferous wood, walnut, ivory, and pewter

Brunswick, around 1730

The female allegories of the virtues patience and bravery inlaid in ivory may be considered a characteristic of richly executed Brunswick cabinets of the early 18th century. On this cabinet, they are combined with other finely executed ornamental details in engraved ivory and pewter; equally remarkable are the floral carvings engraved in the center of the pilasters. These sculptural ornaments create an aesthetic connection between the capitals of the pilasters and the wide-spreading feet carved as double lion claws. The base of the furniture with the lion claws is unique and gives the cabinet its individual, impressive identity.

The inventory 'Langenstein' has been preserved on the back of the cabinet.

Langenstein manor and castle belonged to Prince Heinrich of Prussia, brother of Frederick the Great. Prince Heinrich sold the estate and the inventory to Maria Antoinette Baroness of Branconi in 1776.

Baroness Branconi was the mistress of Hereditary Prince Karl Wilhelm of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel.

She was considered a great and remarkable personality and was called the most beautiful woman in Germany. She had a close friendship with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Baroness Branconi led an open, social life in Langenstein until her death.

Later, the furniture came to the Rimpau Collection in the Gleimhaus Halberstadt, where it survived all the turmoil of war.

The cabinet is published by Andrea Schneider,

“Braunschweiger Möbel des 18. Jahrhunderts”, Brunswick 2021, page 56-56, no. K 6.

Provenance: Prince Henry of Prussia ; Maria Antoinetta Baroness of Branconi ; Rimpau Collection in the Gleimhaus Museum, Halberstadt.

Height: 240 cm, width: 245 cm, depth: 95 cm

Writing case of Carl Philipp of Greiffenclau

Probably Mainz, around 1725

On this double-locking, walnut-veneered cassette with an inner lid, the lush brass fittings are most eye-catching. Their engravings are filled with red and green composition, prefiguring an elaborate enameling. The plaque with the handle in the center of the lid shows the coat of arms of Carl Philipp Baron of Greiffenclau zu Vollrads (1690-1754), later Prince-Bishop (1749-1754) of Würzburg, and is inscribed: “CARL PHILIPP FREYHERR VON GREIFFENKLAU ZU VOLLRATZ”, and the lock bears the inscription: “Gemacht in G[...] Wolteræcken.” It has not yet been possible to find out more about the cabinetmaker.

Carl Philipp's parents were Johann Erwein of Greiffenclau and his first wife Anna Lioba of Sickingen. His uncle was Johann Philipp of Greiffenclau, who was Prince-Bishop of Würzburg from 1699 to 1719. He had already been a domicellar in Würzburg since 1705, then he studied in Mainz and was ordained priest in 1715. Although, he had been a member of the cathedral chapter in Würzburg since 1728, he continued to maintain ties with the archdiocese of Mainz, where he served as rector of the university from 1739-1749.

He introduced the general hymnal for the entire High Diocese of Würzburg and reformed the pharmacy and medical profession.

Carl Philipp of Greiffenclau continued Schönborn's patronage in Würzburg and, immediately after taking office, advised Balthasar Neumann again as chief building director of the Würzburg Residence.

He earned lasting renown as the commissioner of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo for the world-famous frescoes of the staircase of the Würzburg Residence. 

Height: 15.5 cm, width: 39 cm, depth: 26 cm

Pomp cabinet with painted scenes from Ovid's Metamorphoses

Antwerp around 1650

Padouk veneered with ebony, red underlaid tortoise shell, inlaid with composition and fittings of gilded copper

The two-door cabinet stands on its original stand with six richly turned ebonized legs and a tortoiseshell veneered frame hiding a large shelf.

Opening the central doors, the rich pictorial program surprises with painted scenes on 16 copper plates, mostly from Ovid's Metamorphoses.

The scenes are executed in a style influenced by Peter Paul Rubens - the city's most famous artist. Antwerp became the most important European center for the production of pomp cabinets in the 17th century. It took over the role of Augsburg, which had been a leader for such luxury furniture until the 30-year war.

As usual, the two large scenes in the door are the most carefully painted, the left door depicts Fama taking Hersilia to heaven, the right door depicts Apollo/Mercury spying Aglauros, Pandrosos, and Herse, the daughters of Kekrops. Both scenes can be interpreted as allegories of peace and probably refer to the end of the 80-year war in the Netherlands in 1648.

On the drawers and the middle doors are depicted popular metamorphoses such as Pan and Syrinx, Jupiter and Callisto, Procris and Cephalus, Meleager and Atalante, and Vertumnus and Pomona.

For the most valuable cabinets, the combination of ebony veneer, wavy moldings and tortoise shell, backed with red foil to better show off the tortoise shell, is quite typical. In addition, there are small ebony panels inlaid with artful motifs in an artificial, shimmering mass that imitates colored marble or stone. This technique, which was also used elaborately in the interior, made the Antwerp cabinets particularly precious.

The small doors in the middle of the display front are decorated on the inside in the same technique as on the outside. These small doors close a so-called perspective, a small room with mirrored walls and a very refined patterned floor in bone and tortoise shell, on which a small valuable piece of art or goldsmith's work could be placed; such perspectives distinguish Antwerp art cabinets.

Art cabinets of this type spread the fame of the city of Scheldt as an art center and were the most sought-after luxury goods throughout Europe. Very few pieces of this quality have been preserved and the cabinet presented here is a particularly precious example.

It is a great pleasure that it has been preserved in this condition in private ownership.

Height: 195 cm, width: 127 cm, depth: 54 cm

Classicist pair of chests of drawers - Leipzig - Friedrich Gottlob Hoffmann - around 1780

Mahogany, bog oak, maple veneer, key plates in bone and original, gold-plated fittings with elaborately enamelled badges.

That the Leipzig workshop of Friedrich Gottlob Hoffmann was rightly regarded as an important center of furniture production in his time is shown by this pair of chests of drawers, which is simple only at first glance. Elaborate and unusual details complete the selected veneer pattern of the three-drawer chests of drawers: the corner legs that merge into pilaster strips with veneered fluting, the finely inlaid bands on the edges of the furniture and the elegant fittings corresponded to the exquisite taste of court clients towards the end of the 18th century. Century.

Hoffmann (1741-1806) was the first cabinet maker to have an illustrated directory of the pieces of furniture that could be ordered at his workshop printed and distributed at the Leipzig trade fair in 1789. Depending on the client’s taste, the designs could be varied in terms of veneer and finish, and despite ordering from the catalog, representative individual pieces were created for the nobility and the wealthy middle class. Wonderful furniture by Hoffmann has been preserved in the castles in Wörtlitz and Weimar, among other places.

Height 77 cm, width 68 cm, depth 45 cm.

M. Sulzbacher et al., Friedrich Gottlob Hoffmann (on the occasion of the exhibition “Most Noble Carpentry Work from Leipzig. FG Hoffmann - Court Carpenters and Entrepreneurs”), Dresden 2014, pp. 281 and 282.

A pair of high-quality baroque paintings - Signed Franz Christoph Janneck (Graz 1703-1761 Vienna)

Oil on copper.

In a festive atmosphere, a gallant, courtly company amuses herself on the terrace of a magnificent palace to music, dance and conversation over a lavish feast. On large-format murals in the background of the colorful scenery, mythological depictions of the hunting goddess Diana and the sun god Apollo reflect the demanding lifestyle of the characters and tell as allegories the dream of eternal beauty and youth, of seduction and love, but also of the burden of social expectations and moral demands.

In their brilliant colors and the excellent quality of the painting, these two counterparts are typical examples of baroque art in Austria. Alongside Johann Georg Platzer (1704-1761), Janneck is rightly considered the most important artist at the Vienna Academy. In his characteristic combination of Dutch and French ideals, he succeeded in excellent implementation of the unique, baroque attitude towards life of the noble society in the 18th century. The pair of paintings was exhibited in the Residenzgalerie Salzburg in 1996 and published in the exhibition catalog (cat. no. 4 and 5).

Height 40 cm, width 52 cm.

Juffinger, “Reich mir die Hand, mein Leben. Einladung zu einem barocken Fest“ with pictures by Johann Georg Platzer and Franz Christoph Janneck, Salzburg 1996, p. 100-104.

Pucher, Franz Christoph Janneck 1703-1761, dissertation, Graz 1996, p. 196-197, cat. no. 109 and 110.

Artfully inlaid Rococo chest of drawers from the workshop of David Roentgen - Neuwied - around 1775

Veneered in walnut, rosewood, cherry, plum and maple, Rouge Royal marble top. Adhesive label signed on the back.

The two-drawer body “sans traverse” with lambrequin-like hanging frame on elegantly curved legs, the front and sides are lavishly cambered and inlaid with extremely fine and high-quality flower arrangements tied with bows. The original handle with a wreath of flowers shows a female portrait bust in the medallion.

The fine, light flower inlays, which were developed in the Neuwied workshop under the direction of David Roentgen, corresponded more to the taste of luxury-spoiled buyers in the last third of the 18th century than the splendid decors of the Baroque and Rococo, for which his father Abraham was appreciated by courtly clients. The mostly floral motifs are based on models by Jean Bérains the Elder. (1640-1711), Jean Baptiste Oudry (1686-1755) or Jean Pillement (1728-1808).

The impressive effects of color, three-dimensionality as well as bright and dark contrasts are only created through the use of differently colored woods and only the carpenters of the Roentgen Manufactory have mastered these elaborate veneering techniques to such perfection. A very similar but slightly larger chest of drawers from an order by Landgrave Frederick II of Hesse-Kassel is kept in the Kassel State Museum.

Height 80 cm, width 78 cm, depth 41 cm.

See Huth, “Abraham und David Roentgen und ihre Neuwieder Möbelwerkstatt”, Munich 1974, fig. 238.

The Adoration of the Magi

The Adoration of the Magi

ANTWERP MANNERIST, circa 1520

 

Panel painting, oil on wood, cradling on the reverse

Height: 109 cm, width: 70.5 cm

 

Provenance: private collection, Southern Germany

Literature: Max J. Friedländer: Die Antwerpener Manieristen von 1520. In:  Jahrbuch der königlich preußischen Kunstsammlungen 36 (1915), pp. 65–91.

See the publications of the exhibition ExtravagAnt! A forgotten Chapter of Antwerp Painting 1500-1530, Koninklijk Museum vor Schone Kunsten Antwerp, 15 October – 31 December 2005, Antwerp 2005. URL: https://www.codart.nl/guide/agenda/extravagant-antwerpse-schilderijen-voor-de-europese-markt-1500-1525/

 

 

The painting of the Adoration of the Magi was created around 1520 by a painter from the group of the so-called Antwerp Mannerists.

The scene is set in the ruins of a richly decorated temple, which offers a view of a city with a surrounding mountainous landscape in the background. In the centre sits Mary, with brown hair and a dark blue cloak. The Infant Jesus on her lap seems touchingly small and delicate. Joseph, with grey hair and beard, is standing behind the two of them, obviously absorbed in conversation with one of the companions of the Wise Men. The holy kings, who present their gifts in filigree decorated gold vessels, symbolize both the three continents known at that time and the three ages of men. The king kneeling to the right in front of mother and child stands for Europe and the old age, the king placed on the left, with turban and an orientally dressed servant in the background, represents Asia and the middle age, while the black king at the right side embodies Africa and youth.

The term Antwerp Mannerists, introduced by the art historian Max J. Friedländer, covers a number of artists from the first third of the 16th century who practiced an extremely decorative and detailed style, which was not, however, influenced by the Italian Mannerism of the time, but had developed from the late Gothic traditions of early Netherlandish painting, which is characterised by its attention to detail, up to the quasi-photorealistic reproduction of surface structures and landscapes.

The great success of Antwerp Mannerism was closely linked to the rise of Antwerp to one of the most flourishing commercial centres in Europe. Around 1500, the city was a central hub of international trade. This also fuelled the art market and offered ideal conditions for painters who created their altars and panel paintings specifically for export.

The theme of the Adoration of the Kings was particularly suitable for this, as it was very popular and in demand throughout Europe. The depiction of the three wise men opened up a multitude of creative possibilities, starting with the imaginative design of exotic garments, which wrapped the figures in extravagant drapery, to the splendid gifts, to the fantastic architecture, which combined Gothic and Renaissance motifs in eclectic splendour.

The style of these compositions is ornate and extravagant, naturalistic reproduction or even realism took a back seat in favour of the decorative effect. Antwerp Mannerism created representative and highly modern showpieces of the period between 1500 and 1530 - a "fashion statement", so to speak, of this turbulent epoch of transition from late Gothic to Renaissance.

The painterly execution is technically virtuoso. The Antwerp Mannerists paid more attention to the meticulous depiction of a variety of details, some of them densely packed, than to the monumental overall effect of their pictorial compositions. This was and is the secret of the paintings' success: they offer the viewer the opportunity to immerse him or herself in an abundance of interesting supporting scenes and to discover numerous surprising subtleties.

The painting presented here is an excellent example of the artistic skill, precision and inventiveness of the Antwerp Mannerists, who did not sign their paintings and therefore, with few exceptions, are to this day not known by name.

Classical top-mounted cabinet - Bremen, masterpiece around 1785

Bremen, masterpiece around 1785

This straight-lined front piece of furniture is characterized by ornamentation that was adapted from antique architecture.

Stout, fluted feet and a frame with elegant, floral carvings carry the substructure-commode with original, exquisitely gilt fittings, on which lies the monumental double door upper part.

A constructively forward moving middle avant-corps positioned over the full height of the cabinet connects the upper part with the substructure.

The bevelled corners of the commode part are decorated with flutings between carved acanthus leaves.

Distinct mouldings, pearl or laurel stick and rosettes structure the door fillings.

Despite its width, the upper part appears very slim due to the salient middle part and the delicate columns on the side edges.

The crowning closure of the top-mounted cabinet is a richly carved, classical amphora vase on a small socle decorated with hangings in the middle of the burst triangle gable.

The gilt applications and fittings result in a beautiful contrast on the supported veneers of pyramid mahogany.

An identic piece of top-mounted furniture is preserved together with a Bremen masterpiece of 1785 in the Frankfurt museum for applied art.

Height 290 cm, width 200 cm, depth 60 cm.

Himmelheber/ Kreisel, “Die Kunst des deutschen Möbels“, Munic 1973, volume 3, image 61.

Bauer/ Märker/ Ohm, “Europäische Möbel von der Gotik bis zum Jugendstil“, Frankfurt am Main 1976, page 132-133.

Triptych „Virgin and Child“ - Circle of Friedrich and Michael Pacher

Triptych “Virgin and Child”

South Tyrol, circle of Friedrich Pacher (South Tyrol, c. 1435 – after 1508 Bruneck)

and Michael Pacher (Tyrol, c. 1435 – 1498 Salzburg)

circa 1475

Panel paintings on gold ground

Central panel: The Virgin and Child with musical angels;

Wings, the inner faces: Saint Catherine of Alexandria; Saint Barbara;

the outer faces: The Annunciation; inscribed on the outer wing

(on the Archangel Gabriel’s banderole): ‘Ave maria Gr’

Measure closed: 47.4 x 38.5 cm; open: 47.4 x 78 cm;

central panel: 40.2 x 30.6 cm

 

Provenance: J.P. Weyhe, Cologne. - Achillito Chiesa, Milan; his sale, part IV, American Art Association, New York, 23 November 1927 (2nd day), lot 112, as 'School of Cologne'. - with Kleinberger, New York, 1928. - William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951), Hearst Castle, San Simeon, California. - Drey collection, until 1951. - with Paula de Koenigsberg, Buenos Aires, until 1961. - Since 1961 private collection.

Literature and Exhibitions:

Art Objects & Furnishings from the William Randolph Hearst Collection: A Catalogue Raisonné comprising illustrations of representative works, New York, 1941, p. 26, no. 1247-4, central panel illustrated, as 'Master of the Holy Kinship'. 
Listed in the William Randolph Hearst Archive (the original held at Long Island University, New York), XX, p. 13, as 'The Master of the Holy Kinship'. 

Exhibition New York, F. Kleinberger Galleries, Catalogue of a Loan Exhibition of German Primitives for the benefit of the American Red Cross, November 1928, p. 8, no. 12, with illustration.
Buenos Aires, Museo Municipal de Arte Hispano Americano, Exposición de obras maestras, siglos XII al XVII: colección Paula de Koenigsberg, May-July 1951, p. 19, no. 16, as 'The Master of the Holy Kinship', illustration plate V. 
Nuremberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum; Münster, Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte, Sammlung Heinz Kisters: Altdeutsche und Altniederländische Gemälde, 25 June-17 November 1963, p. 12, no. 57, as 'Tiroler Meister um 1480', with illustrations.

Achim Simon: Österreichische Tafelmalerei der Spätgotik: der niederländische Einfluß im 15. Jahrhundert. Berlin 2002, p. 274, ill. 45.

 

The triptych with the central motif of Virgin and Child, flanked by two angels playing music and the Saints Catherine and Barbara, was created around 1475 in the circle of the South Tyrol artists Friedrich and Michael Pacher. The small, representative work with its precious gold ground served as a house altar for private devotion.

Positioned in the center is Mary, who keeps her son, who has already grown up beyond early infancy, on her lap. The little Jesus leafs through his mother's prayer book in a playful way, providing a charming image of lively toddler behavior. This composition is based on the so-called Durán Madonna by Rogier van der Weyden (today in the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid), which was created around 1435-1438 and quickly became widespread among the artists of the era through circulating pattern drawings and later copies.

The creator of the winged altar presented here has probably also used one of these highly popular templates, as an examination of the underdrawing suggests. A comparative analysis of other works that relate to Rogier's image creation suggests that the painter of this triptych used a follow-up version of the Durán Madonna as a model, which must have met the original in many details (see Achim Simon, 2002).

The not yet identified artist, however, by no means simply copied the image motif, but confidently translated it into his own style, which was strongly influenced by Friedrich and Michael Pacher. In doing so, he essentially implemented his own creative ideas. While for instance in Rogier's composition both mother and son are looking at the prayer book, in this triptych Christ actively seeks his mother's eyes, as if to make sure that his play with the book is allowed by Mary. This exchange of glances accentuates the natural innocence of the small child and at the same time emphasizes the deep bond between mother and son.

The inner faces of the wings depict on the left St. Catherine with her instruments of torture, the wheel and sword, and on the right St. Barbara with the martyr's palm and the attribute of the Eucharistic chalice and Host, which from the second half of the 15th century on increasingly supplemented, or, as in this case, even replaced the tower traditionally associated with her. The two Holy Virgins belong to the circle of the "Fourteen Holy Helpers", who were particularly venerated in the late medieval and early modern period. Among other things, St. Barbara was invoked for her protection against an unexpected death. St. Catherine was believed to be an intercessor of girls and women and patroness of schools and universities.

The facial features of mother and child, but also of the two saints, are reminiscent of South Tyrolean works from the sphere of influence of Michael Pacher. Also the frail, almost skinny infant Jesus corresponds to a type common in Tyrol. In contrast, the clearly structured execution of the body proportions, in particular the distinct plasticity and static attitude of the female saints, points to the Flemish influence through the popular antetype.

When closed, the triptych shows an Annunciation scene, which stylistically indicates a Tyrolean origin even more strongly than the motifs on the inside. Mary kneels at the prie-dieu, her gaze lowered humbly, while the ageless Archangel Gabriel, his right hand pointing to the Holy Spirit, delivers the good news to her. The fine hair and the round face with a high forehead give the Virgin an aura of youthful innocence, while the voluminous folds of her blue cloak emphasize her royal dignity.

The iconographic topics of Virgin and Child, the female saints and the Annunciation to Mary are not only thematically, but also in their artistic implementation characterised by a feminine tenderness. So it seems likely that the work could have been commissioned by a woman.

This makes the small triptych not only an impressive testimony of personal piety in the late Middle Ages, but also a vivid example of the lively exchange and the widespread dissemination of artistic ideas within Europe.

Rare, museum-like pair of globes - London, 1816/1828 - Both globes are inscribed and dated and were manufactured by the brothers John and William Cary.

London, 1816/1828

Coloured and lacquered copper engravings, the three-legged ones

Mahogany brackets and each

with a compass. Both globes have a

Equatorial ring with monthly data as well as a

Meridian ring made of brass with indication of the pole height.

The earth globe has an additional

Eight of equation showing the celestial globe

the signs of the zodiac and a legend for star sizes.

Both globes are inscribed and dated

and were manufactured by the brothers John and

William Cary. John (1745-1835) worked his way up as a

cartographer as well as engraver and publisher of

maps and globes an outstanding

Ruf, William (1760-1825) was interested in manufacturing

scientific instruments.

The first globes brought this from the brothers

founded in 1791 and was considered to be the

soon to become London's leading globe manufacturer.

For these two London-made globes.

in Bamberg, the association with the

Prince Bishop Franz Ludwig von Erthal

Natural History Cabinet in the North Wing of the Jesuit College

which is not only close to teaching

of the Bamberg students, but of the

should be open to the entire population. One

impressive, in the year 1807 lost

Earth globe stood here at an exposed location on the

specially designed, semi-circular grandstand

the gallery at the front of the hall and so on.

the idea was born, to use our globes in this

Germany's unique natural history museum

with its high glass cabinets and the oversized

parts still preserved from the 18th century.

to photograph the specimens.

Height 115 cm.

Extremely rare, small Ladies Lid Pumpkin - Bayreuth, circa 1710 - Marked "SR" for Simon Richter (master 1675)

Extremely rare, small Ladies Lid Pumpkin

Bayreuth, circa 1710

Marked "SR" for Simon Richter (master 1675), engraved owner monogram "S.A.V.R." Silver, driven, engraved and punched. On stand with diagonal godron decoration and pearl frieze the cylindrical wall with mostly planar punched background, strap handle with two-part Thumb rest. The lid at the edge also decorated as the stand and with ornamental engraving.

According to the previous owner of Reitzenstein´schem ownership.

Height 9 cm.

Scheffler, goldsmith of Upper Franconia, Berlin 1989, p. 77.

 

Quality lidded tankard with snake skin decoration

Probably Frankfurt am Main, around 1600

Driven and punched, fire gilded.

About Stand ring with narrow ornament ribbon the conical, area-wide finely punched wall, on the handle pearl decor. The high arched lids with baluster shaped Knob on ornamented, flat cylinder.

Height 15.5 cm, weight approx. 332 g.

 

Small baroque lidded tankard

Prenzlau, around 1710

Marked Master Conrad Friedrich Wilpert (Berlin 1675-1720, since 1699 citizen in Prenzlau), Austrian Repunzierungsstempel from 1806/07.

Silver, chased and punched, partly gold-plated.

Over arched stand with fine acanthus leaf volutes the cylindrical wall, top and bottom with circumferential ribbonwork decoration at the bottom and Leaf fans. The strap handle with godronized Ball trigger, repeated on the cover the ornament of the pedestal, in the middle St. Andrew's coin.

Height 11.5 cm.

Scheffler, goldsmiths of Central and Northern Germany, Berlin 1980, pp. 169 and 271-272.

pair of silver menagen for vinegar and oil as well as for tea and sugar - Gdansk/ Augsburg, c. 1760/70 - Johann Gottfried Schlaubitz (master 1733) and Johann Jakob Adam (master 1748)

Gdansk/ Augsburg, c. 1760/70

Johann Gottfried Schlaubitz (master 1733) and Johann Jakob Adam (master 1748). These two silver menages are extremely precious and skilfully worked in typical rococo forms. The double set consists of a total of six parts: a holder with two silver containers for tea and sugar and a frame for silver-mounted glass bottles for oil and vinegar. The holders and the silver cans were made by the Gdansk goldsmith Johann Gottfried Schlaubitz, while the Augsburg silversmith Johann Jacob Adam mounted the glass bottles. The parts are hallmarked with the respective master stamp and the city inspection.

These refined silver menages were part of an extremely luxurious table decoration with valuable porcelains and other precious silver objects such as chandeliers or centrepieces, and at the same time fulfilled all functional requirements.

In 1965, the tea and sugar set was exhibited at the Munich Stadtmuseum on the occasion of the centenary of the Munich Altertumsverein, where it was exhibited together with other art treasures from private collections in southern Germany.

Height 25 cm, width 25 cm, depth 10 cm.

Blatner, Josef, 1965, art treasures from Munich private property, Munich.

Rosenberg, Marc, 1923, Der Goldschmiede Merkzeichen, Frankfurt a.M., vol. 3, no. 1596.

Seling, Helmut, 1980, The Art of Augsburg Goldsmiths 1529-1868, Munich 1980, Vol. 3, MZ 2385.