Bowl thumbnail 1
Bowl thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Bowl

1697 (marked)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This bowl was probably used on the dining table to hold hot liquid. Its functional form allows the lid to be removed and set upon its balled feet as a dish. The various initials engraved at different times on the underside of this dish suggest that the object was a family heirloom.

Outside the wealthiest court circles, 17th-century silver was used primarily for eating and drinking. The dining table was the heart of social activity, and novelty items were made for fashionable new drinks flavoured with spices and drinking games. The range of British silver for the home from this period (the first for which a representative quantity survives) demonstrates increasing foreign influences from France, the Netherlands and Portugal. The rising demand for fashionably decorated European silver from the 1660s onwards reflects Britain’s new wealth and political stability.

Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world’s great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Bowl
  • Cover
Materials and techniques
Partially gilded (parcel-gilt) silver raised, cast, repousse, chased, embossed, and engraved
Brief description
Parcel-gilt silver covered bowl; Johann Daniel Tamnau, Kaliningrad, 1697
Physical description
Shallow, circular bowl resting on three ball feet, the body decorated with repouse and chased naturalistic flowers and supplied with two hinged scroll-handles. The raised cover is embossed in the centre with a scene of three putti around a fire, an allegorical representation of winter, and chased with flowers around the border. The cover is surmounted by three ball feet, so when reversed it can be used as a dish.
Dimensions
  • Height: 14.8cm
  • Width: 28cm
  • Depth: 25.2cm
  • Weight: 1460g
Scratch weight: Wigt 113 11
Marks and inscriptions
  • maker's mark of Johann Daniel Tamnau I (Rosenberg 3, no 2870) (under base, on cover, on one handle)
  • date letter for 1697 (marked under the base and one handle)
  • town mark for Königsberg (renamed Kaliningrad in 1946) (under the base, on the cover, and on one handle)
  • G.C.H: Aõ: 1721 C.D.K:RD J.G.K:1796 (These initials are engraved under the base of the bowl. The different dates suggest that the bowl was a treasured family heirloom that remained in use over several generations within the same family.)
Gallery label
(Gallery 70, case 3) 5. Covered bowl with an allegory of Winter 1697 This bowl was probably used to hold hot soup. Its design allows the lid to be removed and set upon its balled feet as a dish. Kaliningrad, Russia; Johann Daniel Tamnau I (about 1659–1732) Partially gilded silver Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.605:1, 2-2008(11/16/2016)
Credit line
The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Object history
Provenance: Purchased from Rosenberg and Stiebel, Inc., New York, 1985.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This bowl was probably used on the dining table to hold hot liquid. Its functional form allows the lid to be removed and set upon its balled feet as a dish. The various initials engraved at different times on the underside of this dish suggest that the object was a family heirloom.

Outside the wealthiest court circles, 17th-century silver was used primarily for eating and drinking. The dining table was the heart of social activity, and novelty items were made for fashionable new drinks flavoured with spices and drinking games. The range of British silver for the home from this period (the first for which a representative quantity survives) demonstrates increasing foreign influences from France, the Netherlands and Portugal. The rising demand for fashionably decorated European silver from the 1660s onwards reflects Britain’s new wealth and political stability.

Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world’s great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.
Bibliographic reference
Schroder, Timothy. The Gilbert collection of gold and silver. Los Angeles (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) 1988, cat. no.153, pp. 564-65. ISBN.0875871445
Other numbers
  • SG 204 - Arthur Gilbert Number
  • SG 122B - Arthur Gilbert Number
  • 1996.907 - The Gilbert Collection, Somerset House
Collection
Accession number
LOAN:GILBERT.605:1, 2-2008

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJune 26, 2008
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest