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