Rotterdam, 1770
by Rudolf Sondag (1726-1812)
Silver wall arms were made by various Dutch goldsmiths in the 18th century, in very rare cases even as an ensemble with a silver chandelier. The commissions were always extremely valuable and the circle of clients very small. The appliqués shown here were made by the most famous Rotterdam goldsmith of the 18th century.
Rudolf Sondag, who repeatedly came up with his own original designs, developed over the course of his life with works in the style from the opulent Rococo to the early Classicism of the second half of the 18th century. The wall panels are almost symmetrical, and the intertwined arms display a certain severeness. The two side arms end at the same height, giving the appliqués a strong monumentality.
Marked: Dutch lion, Rotterdam city mark, master's mark sun for Rudolf Sondag, year letter M (1770), guild stamp N (Rotterdam 1795).
Literature: Exhibition catalog Rococo in Nederland, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam 2001, cf. nos. 80, 85, 123.
Height: 55 cm, total weight 2952 g
