An impressive Bohemian five-light silver chandelier, Michael Josef Cocsell, 1723

of baluster form, in several sections, all richly embossed, chased and engraved with Baroque ornament including husked garlands, lambrequins and scale-work on a matted ground, further embellished with bolted silver sheet decoration in form of leaves and floral garlands, the five plaques on the main body representing the life of a Saint, probably Saint Walburga, surmounted by a waisted bowl on five scrolling supports, the branches in the form of caryatids, the spherical terminal with alternating panels of lambrequins on a matted ground, all hanging from five chains interrupted by similar spherical ornament, surmounted by an upper section representing Christ in clouds with angels' heads

Private Collection, Europe

Associated Literature:

Michael Snodin & Nigel Llewellyn, Baroque, 1620-1800, Style in the Age of Magnificence, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2009.

Gary B. Cohen and Franz A. J. Szabo, Embodiments of Power: Building Baroque Cities in Europe, 2008.

Libuše Urešová, Barokní zlatnictví ze sbírek Uměleckoprůmyslového muzea v Praze, Uměleckoprůmyslové Muzeum, Prague, 1974

Please note the correct spelling of the maker: Michael Josef Cocsell. Very impressive piece, maker's mark and town mark on upper section, each main body section and relief plaques. Chains probably replaced and liners of sconces later. Some bending, losses, breaks, and splits to leaf ornament, and rims of the various sections including some repairs. Caryatids with splits and holes, some due to casting. One with hole for electricty fitting, also in the upper section. some bolts replaced. one panel with erasure. crisp matting, engraving, and ornament
"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."

The year 1723 was important for Prague as the Bohemian capital was preparing to celebrate the coronation of Emperor Charles VI as King. It was most likely in preparation of this royal event that Michael Josef Cocsell, one of Prague’s most eminent goldsmiths, received a surge of private commissions over this period.¹

According to legend, Prague had been founded in the 8th century by the Duchess Libuse and her husband, Přemysl; they identified the cliff above the river Vltava as ‘a great city whose glory will touch the stars.’ They laid the foundations of Prague Castle, which is the largest ancient castle in the world and also those St. Vitus Cathedral, still the largest and most important church in the country. Their descendants acquired monarchial power of Bohemia in 1085, with the Kingdom absorbed into the Holy Roman Empire upon the accession in 1346 of Charles IV (1316-1378) to the Imperial Throne. He transformed Prague into a stately capital which became Europe’s third largest city after Rome and Constantinople. The city was again chosen to host the imperial court during the reign of Rudolf II (1555-1612), who, as an insatiable collector, furnished Prague castle with the most impressive Kunstkammer and art collection of the time.

Progressively in the 17th century the Baroque had become the standard and dominant style across Europe. Heavily aligned with the Counter-Reformation, a movement lead by the Catholic Church to challenge the wave of Protestant power surging across Europe, Nigel Llewellyn explains that ‘its luxurious complexity and psychological impact was a potent aid to piety.’² 

Although Prague lost its political prominence and religious autonomy at time it gained an exquisite Baroque architecture, probably one of the most distinguished in Europe.

The movement was enthusiastically supported by the Bohemian Catholic Church and nobility. In 1621 Albert von Wallenstein, Duke of Mecklenburg (1583-1634), General of the Imperial army, commissioned the Italian architects Giovanni Pieroni and Andrea Spezza to build the first Baroque palace in Prague. Following the Duke’s example, Bohemia’s wealthy Catholic patrons and religious orders initiated magnificent construction projects of churches and palaces, including the important St Nicholas Church and the Clam-Gallas Palace. The Charles Bridge, perhaps Prague’s most famous landmark, was considered ‘an apt symbol of faith that had been under siege for nearly three centuries’³  and underwent extensive reconstruction whereby 28 statues of saints were erected, the first being of St. John Nepomuk in 1683. A grandiose silver tomb, stylistically similar to this chandelier, was created by the goldsmith J. Wurth in 1733 when the body of St. John was removed from the Vltava and transported to St. Vitus Cathedral.

This Baroque fever transformed the city of Prague into one of the leading artistic centres in Europe, attracting Italian, German and French artists to compete with native Bohemians for the most ambitious projects. In 1723 the City was also preparing for the Coronation of Emperor Charles VI as well as the birthday of the Empress Elizabeth. A memorable Baroque extravaganza ensued. The court of the Castle was transformed into an operatic stage presenting the opening performance of Johann Joseph Fux’s opera, Constanza e Fortezza, composed for the occasion. Furthermore, The High Chancellor of Bohemia, Count František Ferdinand Kinský (1668-1741) converted his family castle into a splendid Baroque palace in order to welcome the King during his visit, naming it Karlova Koruna (Charles's crown). Originally from Vienna, Michael Josef Cocsell obtained citizenship in 1717, was one of the leading Baroque goldsmiths, employing four apprentices. Cocsell was commissioned to create this extraordinary chandelier probably in preparation for the Royal visit, either for an individual or one of Prague’s churches, possibly St. Havel, the construction of whose Baroque façade was begun that year.

One of Cocsell’s recorded patrons was the Abbot Konrad Proche (1664 or 1669-1727) who commissioned a silver-gilt and enamel chalice made with his arms for Neuzell Abbey (now in the Münster Cathedral). Born in the Bohemian town of Lipa, Proche joined the Cistercian order in his youth. He studied theology in Prague, became ordained as a priest and joined the Cistercian abbey of Neuzell in Lower Lusatia (Brandeburg) in 1695. He became abbot in 1703 and began the reconstruction of the entire monastery, now considered as one of the most exceptional Baroque constructions in North Germany. Given its date and religious significance, Cocsell’s chandelier may have been part of this ambitious project. The scenes on the body of the chandelier probably represent the life of St. Walburga (circa 710-circa 777), an English missionary born into an aristocratic Devonshire family. She and her brothers subsequently assisted St. Boniface in evangelizing the Pagan Germans. She also joined the monastery of Heidenheim am Hahnenkamm where she became abbess. Upon St. Walburga’s death in 777 her remains were transferred to Eichstatt, 40 km from Neuzell and she was canonised in 870. In the 14th century the miracle of the tempest-tossed boat, as represented on the chandelier, was introduced, as also depicted by Peter Paul Rubens in 1610 for the Church altarpiece of St. Walpurgis, Antwerp. The story St. Walburga had certainly inspired Abbot Konrad Proche who actively sought for the conversion of Protestant souls in Brandebourg and built this Baroque gem, Neuzell Abbey, as a symbol of the Catholic Church.

 

1. He admitted annually 1500 zl, one of the largest incomes for a Prague goldsmith. L. Urešová, Barokní zlatnictví..., Prague, 1974.
2. Nigel Lewellyn, Power and Piety, Baroque, p. 204.
3. Howard Louthan, ‘Religious Art and the Formation of a Catholic identity in Baroque Prague’, Embodiement of power, 2008, p. 53-79.