- 503
A German parcel-gilt silver wedding tankard, Christoph Bantzer, Augsburg, circa 1634-35
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 GBP
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Description
- silver
- 14.5cm., 5 3/4 in. high
Engraved with a highly fashionable lord and lady flanking the arms of Fugger-Kirchberg-Weissenhorn, he holding a flaming torch below inscription MEIN BRINEND. HERZE.SCHENCK.ICH.DIR and she a rose in bloom below inscription UND. ICH.GIB.DIR.DIE. ROS.DARFUR, on an ancanthus ground with dolphin mask and fruit, pomegranate finial, marked on body and cover
Provenance
Acquired from S. J. Phillips, London, 26 September 1968.
Condition
Clear hallmarks on underside of body and cover, crisp and beautiful engraving, very light wear to gilding at highlights, overall very good condition
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Although the tankard is engraved with one armorial only, it seems almost certain that the fashionable couple were married. The flaming heart he holds was a commonly used image for a husband in the 17th century, while the rose flower was frequently offered to the man by the woman (sometimes by the man to the woman) in depictions of marriage heraldry.
This is substantiated by the pomegranate surmounting the whole tankard, a complex symbol whose meaning includes the persistence of life, generation and the indivisibility of marriage (From Persephone eating the pomegranate seeds in Hades). An explanation for the married couple flanking a single armorial shield might be that they came from the same family; inter-Fugger marriages, were not uncommon in the 16th and 17th century. They seem to share the armorial as the shield itself is canted towards the husband, while the helmet and crest is unusually drawn facing the woman. Within the Fugger-Kirchberg-Weissenhorn part of the great banking dynasty from Augsburg, Karl Fugger count of Kirchberg and Weissenhorn (1597-1662) married Marie Elizabeth Fugger (1600-1652) daughter of Marx Fugger of Kirchberg and Weissenhorn on 2 June 1629. The births of their four children 1631-39 straddle the date of this tankard 1634-35. It seems feasable to suppose, substantiated by the size of the piece, what would normally be called a lady’s tankard that this represents a traditional present from Karl Fugger to his wife Marie Elizabeth on the birth of one of their children.
The Fuggers were a historically prominent German family of businessman dating back to the 14th century. They became members of the mercantile patriciate of Augsburg in the 15th and 16th century and Imperial bankers to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (1500-1558) and then Ferdinand I of Habsburg (1503-1564). They have been compared to the Medicis, in terms of wealth, power and political influence.
This is substantiated by the pomegranate surmounting the whole tankard, a complex symbol whose meaning includes the persistence of life, generation and the indivisibility of marriage (From Persephone eating the pomegranate seeds in Hades). An explanation for the married couple flanking a single armorial shield might be that they came from the same family; inter-Fugger marriages, were not uncommon in the 16th and 17th century. They seem to share the armorial as the shield itself is canted towards the husband, while the helmet and crest is unusually drawn facing the woman. Within the Fugger-Kirchberg-Weissenhorn part of the great banking dynasty from Augsburg, Karl Fugger count of Kirchberg and Weissenhorn (1597-1662) married Marie Elizabeth Fugger (1600-1652) daughter of Marx Fugger of Kirchberg and Weissenhorn on 2 June 1629. The births of their four children 1631-39 straddle the date of this tankard 1634-35. It seems feasable to suppose, substantiated by the size of the piece, what would normally be called a lady’s tankard that this represents a traditional present from Karl Fugger to his wife Marie Elizabeth on the birth of one of their children.
The Fuggers were a historically prominent German family of businessman dating back to the 14th century. They became members of the mercantile patriciate of Augsburg in the 15th and 16th century and Imperial bankers to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (1500-1558) and then Ferdinand I of Habsburg (1503-1564). They have been compared to the Medicis, in terms of wealth, power and political influence.