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A GERMAN PARCEL-GILT SILVER HORSE AND RIDER ON STAND, THE RIDER AND STAND MAKER'S MARK GIS ONLY, CIRCA 1650, THE HORSE, NURNBERG, CIRCA 1610, MAKER'S MARK MM, PROBABLY FOR MARTIN MALFAIT OR MICHEL MICHAELIS | A German parcel-gilt silver horse and rider on stand, the rider and stand maker's mark GIS only, circa 1650, the horse, Nurnberg, circa 1610, maker's mark MM, probably for Martin Malfait or Michel Michaelis
Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 EUR
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Description
- 35.5 cm high, 936 g ; 14 in., 30oz
the rearing horse with detachable head, the knight in armour with pike, hinged visor, saddle and stirrups, holding an armorial engraved shield dated 1649, on domed base embossed and chased to simulate a forest floor above lobate ornament
Condition
Some ornaments missing, some others to be refixed. Marks on saddle horse neck and foot rim.
"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
The horse in this sculptural group originates from one workshop while the rider and base of the group come from another. The horseman's shield, engraved 1649, includes traces of green and black enamel. Martin Malfait (working dates 1569-1608) and Michel Michaelis (1606-1627)'s maker's marks, have been confused in the past (see Karin Tebbe et al. Nürnberger Goldschmiedekunst 1541-1868, Nuremberg, 2007, nos. 551 and 580). Neither of these goldsmiths are recorded making animals by the authors of Nürnberger Goldschmiedekunst, but a model of a partridge attributed to Michel Michaelis, Nuremberg, circa 1620, formerly in the Sidney J. Lamon collection, was sold at Sotheby's, Monaco, 7 December, 1991, lot 717.
Two identical models of the horse, by the Nuremberg goldsmith Jacob Fröhlich, 1560/70, are in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, formerly at Schloss Ambras, and the Hermitage St. Petersburg (see op. cit. no. 249). These two are on a very small base and stand up because the animals' tail acts as a separate support. The horse in the current lot is constructed in the same way, so that its tails should act as an extra support. A fourth model, of the same size as the other three, but where the collar appears to be tooled into the metal rather than applied to it, by Thomas Stör the younger, Nuremberg, circa 1635 was sold at Sotheby's, Zurich, 18 November 1977, lot 102.
The horse in the present lot has been tested for impurities in the silver. Against a data bank of English silver, these impurities are consistent with alloys datable to between 1500-1600.
Two identical models of the horse, by the Nuremberg goldsmith Jacob Fröhlich, 1560/70, are in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, formerly at Schloss Ambras, and the Hermitage St. Petersburg (see op. cit. no. 249). These two are on a very small base and stand up because the animals' tail acts as a separate support. The horse in the current lot is constructed in the same way, so that its tails should act as an extra support. A fourth model, of the same size as the other three, but where the collar appears to be tooled into the metal rather than applied to it, by Thomas Stör the younger, Nuremberg, circa 1635 was sold at Sotheby's, Zurich, 18 November 1977, lot 102.
The horse in the present lot has been tested for impurities in the silver. Against a data bank of English silver, these impurities are consistent with alloys datable to between 1500-1600.