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581
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A large silver and gilded silver tankar, resting on a circul…
See original version (French)
581
-
A large silver and gilded silver tankar, resting on a circul…
See original version (French)
Estimate €3,000 - €5,000
Voluntary lot
Description
A large silver and gilded silver tankar, resting on a circular base chased with flowers and foliage against an amati background. The body is chased with a continuous scene inspired by the Old Testament, depicting the meeting of Eliezer and Rebecca. The lid is decorated with a frieze of foliage and flowers on an amati ground and a figure of St John the Baptist in the centre. The handle features a console design and acanthus leaves in relief.
Master silversmith: BALTHAZAR LAUCH, admitted to the guild c. 1670.
LEIPZIG, c. 1680
Height: 19 cm
Diameter: 19 cm
Weight: 810 g.
For a similar example by the same silversmith and featuring the same decoration: LARGE GERMAN SILVER AND VERMEIL TANKARD BY BALTHAZAR LAUCH, LEIPZIG, CIRCA 1680, see Christie’s Paris auction, 5–22 November 2024, lot 183.
Bibliography:
Mark Rosenberg, *Der Goldschmiede Merkzeichen*, Vol. 2, Frankfurt, 1923, p. 250, nos. 2995, 3018, 3057, 3058.
Oskar Döring, Georg Voss, Meisterwerke der Kunst aus Sachsen und Thüringen, Magdeburg 1906, pp. 30–31.
Richard Graul, *Alte Leipziger Goldschmiede-Arbeiten und solche anderen Ursprunges aus Leipziger Besitz*, Städtisches Kunstgewerbe-Museum zu Leipzig, Leipzig, 1910, pp. 31–33, ill. XXXI.
Balthasar Lauch, a goldsmith and medallist, was active in Leipzig during the third quarter of the 17th century; he came from a dynasty of Saxon goldsmiths who had been established in the city since the late 16th century. Admitted as a master to the Leipzig Goldsmiths’ Guild around 1670, he was part of the Baroque goldsmithing tradition of the Electorate of Saxony, characterised by the production of prestigious works intended for urban and princely elites.
The scene depicted on this tankard is taken from the biblical account of the meeting between Eliezer and Rebekah at the well, as recounted in Genesis (24:15–27). Anxious to ensure an heir for his son Isaac without marrying him to a woman from the land of Canaan, Abraham instructs his faithful servant Eliezer to return to Mesopotamia, his family’s homeland, to find a wife worthy of his son. After a long journey, Eliezer arrives on the outskirts of the town of Nahor and lets his ten camels rest by a well, where the young women of the town come daily to draw water.
Aware of the importance of his mission, he then offers a prayer to God and asks for a sign: that the young woman who agrees not only to give him a drink, but also to water his camels, may be the one God has destined for Isaac. No sooner had he finished his prayer than Rebekah appeared, the daughter of Bethuel and granddaughter of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. Having gone down to the well with her jug, she responded to the traveller’s request and then drew enough water to quench the thirst of all his animals, thus fulfilling the sign he had asked for.
Amazed by this coincidence, Eliezer recognised in this gesture of generosity, piety and hospitality the manifestation of divine will. This episode is one of the most significant marriage narratives in the Old Testament, illustrating both divine Providence and Rebecca’s exemplary virtues. In Western iconography, the scene is frequently depicted around the well, with Eliezer accompanied by his camels facing Rebecca carrying her jug.
See original version (French)
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Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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