ENThe Kunstkammer Würth in the Bode Museum

Bode-Museum

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In October 2006, on the occasion of the reopening of the Bode Museum, the entre-preneur, art collector, and benefactor Prof. Dr. h.c. mult. Reinhold Würth generously lent 28 exquisite objects from his Kunst-kammer to the Sculpture Collection. Origi-nally agreed to be loaned for three years, they have not only continued to please our visitors to the present day, but they have also been enriched by two additional mas-terpieces loaned at the time of the 10th anniversary of the exhibition in 2016: the splendid Arch-Cupbearer´s Cup of Count Christoph III of Limpurg-Gaildorf, which was used at the coronation of Emperor Maximilian II (1527-1576) in 1562, and the virtuoso carved ivory group “Pluto and Pro-serpina” by Matthias Steinl (1633/34-1727), one of the foremost ivory carvers at the court of Vienna.Reinhold Würth, whose collection is lar-gely focused on modern and contemporary

art, has also shown a life-long interest in masterpieces from earlier periods, prefer-ably from his home region: the Hohenlohe in southwest Germany, especially the area around Künzelsau, the headquarters of his company, and Schwäbisch Hall, the locati-on of the Kunsthalle Würth and the vener-able Johanniterkirche, a church that was secularized and then reshaped as a muse-um to host his Old Masters collection. His attachment to his homeland explains why many of the ivory objects displayed in the Kunstkammer Würth in the Bode Museum are by Leonhard Kern (1588-1662), who was a native of Forchtenberg and spent most of his career in Schwäbisch Hall. Another highlight is the cabinet of the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg, Johann Gottfried von Gutten-berg (1645-1698), executed in 1685 in the time-consuming Boulle technique by Jo-hann Jacob Sommer (1645-1715), who was born in Künzelsau. Also from this region

is the previously mentioned Arch-Cupbe-arer´s Cup of Count Christoph III of Lim-purg-Gaildorf, a small town just a few kilo-meters south of Schwäbisch Hall.Besides these exquisite works, the Kunst-kammer Würth comprises many more small-scale sculptures from the seven-teenth and eighteenth centuries by such renowned artists as Adam Lenckhardt (1610-1661), Joachim Henne (c. 1630-1707) and the wood carver Christoph Daniel Schenck (1633-1691), who is represented by his virtuoso relief “Saint Michael Vanquishing Satan”. Among the key works of the collec-tion is undoubtedly “Diana on a Stag” by Paulus Ättinger (documented 1574-1619), a sumptuous, partially gilt silver drinking vessel fitted with precious stones. The pre-sentation is rounded out by turned ivory goblets and concentric spheres that were so characteristic of the holdings of every important historic Kunstkammer.

The Old Testament relates how the Queen of Sheba, impressed by the wisdom and wealth of Solomon,visited the Jewish king and offered him many gifts. The artist depicted these precious objects on shelvesand tables, which brings to mind the typical Renaissance and Baroque „Kunstkammer“.

Adriaen van Stalbemt (1580-1662)King Solomon and the Queen of ShebaAntwerp, 17th century, oil on copper (detail)Würth Collection, Inv. 4205

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Bode-Museum

museumsinsel berlin

The Kunstkammer Würth in the Bode Museum

This richly decorated cup is crowned by a seated griffin holding the oval armorial shield of the Bohemian King Maximilian II. Inside the lid, an engraved inscription states that Maximilian II, King of Bohe-mia and Prince of Austria, gave this cup in 1562, when he was crowned in Frankfurt am Main as Roman-German King, to the Arch-Cupbearer of the Holy Roman Empi-re, Christoph III of Limpurg-Gaildorf.As Arch-Cupbearer, one of the highest court-offices, Christoph III approached the newly elected ruler by horse, got off, and offered him a drink from the gilded silver-cup. In recognition of this ceremo-nial service, the horse as well as the cup were given to the count as presents. The cup has been modified over time. The lid seems to be the only part left from the original drinking vessel. The other parts, such as the foot, base, and shaft, as well as the cup itself, all bear different gold-smith‘s marks, indicating a later date, around 1600. These elements were pro-bably damaged with use and replaced to restore a harmonic whole.

Johann Philipp Bonhöfer (1550-1613) andChristoph II Ritter (1548-1616)Arch-Cupbearer´s Cup of the Count of Limpurg-Gaildorf, 1561/62 and laterGilt, repouséed, cast, and engraved silver, champlevé enameland reverse-glass paintingWürth Collection, Inv. No. 16283

Paulus Ättinger (documented 1574-1619)Diana on a Stag, ca. 1610Repousséed, chased, chiselled, and partially gilt silver with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and pearlsWürth Collection, Inv. No. 3864

The artist carved this virtuoso, dramatic group from an elephant tusk. This elegant sculpture represents the moment from Ovid’s Metamorphoses (V. 376-571) in whichthe god of the underworld Pluto, madly in love, abducts the beautiful Proserpina. The burning torch held by the little boy hints at Pluto’s sinister realm. Thus love symboli-cally brightens darkness. Matthias Steinl, who was active at the court in Vienna, was indisputably one of the outstanding ivory carvers of his era.

Diana, goddess of the hunt, is enthroned, seemingly weightless, on a stag. She is identified by the arrow, bow and quiver, but also by the crescent-moon crown on the top of her head, as the Immortal One who also rules over this satellite. She rides sidesattle, thus giving this statuette a clear main viewing axis. This precious sculpture group was conceived as a drinking ves-sel. The head of the stag, as well as that of the dog, is detachable, so the bodies of the animals could be filled with wine. The bases of such sculptures were often out-fitted with a mechanism that would set them in motion at festive banquets.

Matthias Steinl (1643/44-1727)Pluto and Prosepina, ca. 1690/1700Ivory, original base inlaid with ivory and ebonyWürth Collection, Inv. No. 16737