L12230

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Lot 17
  • 17

German, Rhineland or Valley of the Meuse, circa 1200

Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 GBP
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Description

  • Inscribed bands from a reliquary shrine
  • partially gilt and champlevé enamelled copper
  • German, Rhineland or Valley of the Meuse, circa 1200
inscribed: DISCE FIDEM PATRUM and SPEM MORE

Provenance

Ernst Kofler and Marthe Truniger, Lucerne, before 1964 to 1971;
Edmund de Unger, London;
his sale, Sotheby's New York, The Keir Collection of Medieval Works of Art, 20 November 1997, lot 21

Exhibited

Zurich, Kunsthaus, E and M Kofler-Truniger Collection, 1964, no. 842;
Kansas City, Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, Medieval enamels and sculptures from the Keir Collection, 1983, no. 13

Literature

Sammlung E. und M. Kofler-Truniger, Luzern, exhib. cat. Kunsthaus Zürich, Zurich, 1964, p. 93, no. 842;
H. Schnitzler, P. Bloch and C. Ratton, Email, Goldschmiede- und Metallarbeiten. Europäisches Mittelalter, Sammlung E. und M. Kofler-Truniger, Luzern, Lucerne/ Stuttgart, 1965, vol. II, E36, pl. 36;
M. Stokstad, Medieval enamels and sculptures from the Keir Collection, exhib. cat. Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, 1983, no. 8

Condition

Overall the condition of the plaques is good. There is wear and some minor dirt tot the surface consistent with age with some losses to the gilding. The longer plaque is slightly warped. There are losses to the enamel around the holes made for mounting, particularly between the E and the F. There is craquelure to the enamel throughout. The plaque inscribed SPEM MORE was cut off at the right edge, where an S is discernible.
"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

The present bands formed part of a large group of objects which once decorated the surface of a single important Romanesque reliquary casket. Schnitzler et al. (op.cit.) mention further sections of the same casket in the Cluny Museum, Paris and the Kestner-Museum in Hanover.