Partly fire-gilded, marked Augsburg, around 1763-1765, by Gottfried Bartermann
This unusually richly decorated tureen, a late work by the famous Gottfried Bartermann (approx. 1705-1769), is a top product of Augsburg silversmithing of the Rococo period. In Succession of the most important Parisian goldsmiths, such as Thomas Germain, Bartermann has decorated the lid with lifelike vegetables such as asparagus, cabbage and celery root, crowned by an artichoke; a string of strawberries forms a particularly original motif. The large cartouche, spreading on both sides over the body and the lid, shows a turnip and other vegetables in the center. Besides centerpieces, tureens were the most important showpieces of a representatively set festive table. The sporadic fully plastic vegetables possibly indicate the ingredients of the dish prepared in the tureen.
Helmut Seling has written about this piece: "We know a whole series of tureens by Gottfried Bartermann, which consistently document his masterly skills. Among them is this oval tureen, made between 1763 and 1765, whose successfully produced shape forms a unity with the decoration."
Literature: Helmut Seling, "Die Kunst der Augsburger Goldschmiede 1529-1868", Munich 1980, vol. I, p. 164; vol. II, fig. 736
Height: approx. 36 cm, width: 50 cm, weight: approx. 4630 g