A rare pair of cabinet silver figures of knights, produced by the firm of Berthold Hermann Müller in Hanau - one of Germany’s leading centres for artistic silver production during the Historicism period. The compositions are executed in the Renaissance Revival aesthetic and reflect the late 19th-century fascination with the artistic heritage of the European Renaissance.
The figures depict two noble warriors in ceremonial attire, standing on pierced hexagonal bases decorated with openwork foliate ornament. One knight is represented in full tournament armour with a crowned helmet, sword and shield bearing heraldic motifs. The surface of the armour is finely chased and engraved, recreating the elaborate decoration of parade armour from the age of Emperor Maximilian I and the Northern Renaissance.
The second figure represents a bearded monarch or nobleman wearing a richly ornamented costume and a cloak decorated with Fleur-de-Lys motifs associated with French royal heraldry. The faces and hands are carved from ivory, creating a striking contrast of materials characteristic of luxury Kunstkammer objects.
The exceptional attention to detail, including chainmail elements, weapons, textile textures, ornamental borders and miniature decorative features, demonstrates the high level of craftsmanship achieved by Hanau silversmiths. Such cabinet sculptures were created as luxury collector’s objects for European connoisseurs and aristocratic interiors of the Belle Époque period.
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SILVER Seller in Riga, Latvia
