Various Properties
A German silver and ebonised wood house altar, probably Matthias Walbaum, Augsburg, early 17th century
Lot Closed
December 5, 03:56 PM GMT
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 EUR
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Read more.Lot Details
Description
Multi-tiered form, the front applied with figural scenes (The Nativity, The Crucifixion, The Resurection, and the four Evangelists) and scroll and mask ornament.
45cm, 17½in. high
An almost identical house altar is illustrated in Die Augsburger Goldschmiedewerkstatt des Matthias Walbaum, Regina Löwe, Deutscher Kunstverlag, 1975, p.59.
Matthias Walbaum (c.1554-1632) was born in Kiel, Germany and took an apprenticeship with the Lübeck goldsmith Hans von Tegelen and became a member of the Augsburg Goldsmiths' Guild in October 1590. From his surviving work we know he predominantly worked on religious silver and specialised in hausaltäre (house altars) for private devotions.
One of Walbaum's most famous works was the exterior of the famous Pommersche Kunstschrank, an art cabinet compiled by Philipp Hainhofer for Duke Philipp II of Pomerania. The cabinet was destroyed by fire in World War II, though the contents survived and are now in the Museum of Decorative Arts in Berlin.