SHOWCASE 35. ARTICLES MADE BY NUREMBERG GOLDSMITHS

The Armoury collection of the Nuremberg silver consists of two hundred and sixty-five items, the Renaissance silverware in particular. It represents works of a hundred and twenty craftsmen and covers the period from the 15th to the 17th century, thus revealing types and tendencies of the Nuremberg goldsmithery as well as the evolution of its forms, materials and ornamentation. 

Nuremberg was the main centre of silver-making in Germany until the end of the 17th century. By the end of the 16th century, the town has already had a well-developed trade and industry of jewellery-making. Nuremberg makers executed silverware of varied forms for religious and secular purposes, but above all, they were famed for outstanding goblets. Engravings and drawings by the well-known artists, such as Albrecht Durer, Hans Holbein the Younger and Peter Flotner, served as a source of inspiration for Nuremberg craftsmen. For example, thanks to Durer's sketches and engravings remarkable goblets appeared in the shapes of apples, pears and pumpkins and stems of vessels acquired a form of tree trunks entwined around with vines.

The flowering of applied art in Germany was promoted by its proximity to Italy. German jewellers quickly adopted forms of the Italian Renaissance. They were interested in the real world and representations of animals and plants. A characteristic feature of the Nuremberg style was its balanced proportions, horizontal division and clarity of forms. The ornament of the style was incredibly diverse. Craftsmen decorated articles with masks, vases, torches, as well as putti and the so-called strapwork, which predominated amongst ornamentation.

Among the Nuremberg jewellers of the 17th-century, members of the Jamnitzer family are worthy of particular attention. The head of the family Wenzel Jamnitzer was a silversmith, engraver and a scholar, whose artworks influenced many German makers. He created a goblet, shaped as a bluebell, forms of which had to be repeated by every maker seeking for a title of a master. This jeweller was the first to design the main types of the Nuremberg goblets with the figures of Roman warriors and the allegories of the virtues on the lids.

In the middle of the 16th century, the silverware was executed not only for the nobility but also for the middle class. The so-called "amusement" utensil, designed to entertain guests, had appeared, for example, the goblets in the form of sailing ships. Goblets in the Renaissance and Neo-Gothic styles became widespread. Artworks were chased with bosses imitating grapes, apples and pineapples, which give a massive appearance and showed off the reflecting qualities of the surface. Their lids were decorated with silver bouquets of flowers; stems were executed in the forms of tree trunks, cherubs or small vases with handles.

In the mid-17th century, the forms of goblets were transformed and became more elongated. Their bowls, narrowing in the middle, were chased with large protuberance. The stems were made in the shape of a faceted bannister. Auricular-style ornament, typical of the baroque style, became the most widespread decorative motif.