Pair of silver-gilt mounts from a cabinet, from the workshop of Wenzel Jamnitzer, Nuremberg, about 1570-80

Pair of silver-gilt rectangular mounts, each consisting of an oval frame die-stamped with a rope design within pierced scrolling strapwork corners, enclosing a pierced and chased (delicately hammered) figure: one of the god Mercury and the other of Urania (the female personification of Astronomy).

These mounts are the only surviving fragments of a silver-mounted ebony and lapis lazuli cabinet made by Jamnitzer's workshop about 1570-80. It is not known when these two mounts (of six) were detached from the back of the cabinet - although they had disappeared before it entered the Berlin Royal Kunstkammer in 1835 - but the V&A acquired them in 1863 from the then Director of the Museum, Henry Cole. The cabinet entered the Kunstgewerbemuseum in Berlin in 1868 when it absorbed the contents of the Kunstkammer (inv. no. K2850) but was destroyed during the Second World War.

Wenzel Jamnitzer (1507/8-85) was one of the most famous and accomplished goldsmiths in 16th century Europe and ran a large workshop in Nuremberg. Among many often revolutionary lines of production his workshop made silver caskets and mounts. Jamnitzer’s earliest caskets were almost completely covered with silver foil, revealing the outlines of the wooden carcase but not the colour. He later preferred the striking colour contrast provided by applying silver panels and mounts to an ebony carcase. This development prefigured the hugely successful trade in 17th century Augsburg of hardwood (particularly black ebony) furniture, most notably altarpieces and cabinets, decorated with pierced, chased and cast silver mounts.

The ornament pattern books which inspired craftsmen of the time often featured representations of the arts and sciences, or alluded to classical subject matter. These two mounts show figures of the god Mercury and Urania (the personification of Astronomy). A photograph taken of the original cabinet before it was destroyed shows that the oval section of each mount would have been backed by a sheet of lapis lazuli (see Pechstein, 1971). The degree to which Jamnitzer's workshop was mechanised can be seen in the use of die-stamping to produce the decorative borders. In the 1985 exhibition catalogue on Wenzel Jamnitzer (see References), the author sees the artistic influence of Wenzel's son, Hans (1539-1603) in the design of these mounts.

Wenzel Jamnitzer (1507/8-85) was one of the most famous and accomplished goldsmiths in 16th century Europe and ran a large workshop in Nuremberg. Among many often revolutionary lines of production his workshop made silver caskets and mounts. Jamnitzer’s earliest caskets were almost completely covered with silver foil, revealing the outlines of the wooden carcase but not the colour. He later preferred the striking colour contrast provided by applying silver panels and mounts to an ebony carcase. This development prefigured the hugely successful trade in 17th century Augsburg of hardwood (particularly black ebony) furniture, most notably altarpieces and cabinets, decorated with pierced, chased and cast silver mounts.

8995 and 8996-1863