posted 01-15-2012 04:14 PM            

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Wenzel Jamnitzer (aka Gemniczer) was a print maker, sculptor, and goldsmith working in Nuremberg. He was the eldest member of a large dynasty and founder of a long-lived workshop. He specialized in etchings of small figures, reliefs on caskets and ornamental table-ware in an Italianate Mannerist style. The small scale of his work belies its lasting and widespread influence. He was the best known goldsmith of his era producing precious metalwork for a succession of Holy Roman Emperors. The city of Nuremberg appointed him a coin and seal die-cutter in 1543 and, in 1552, master of the city mint. His sons continued his workshop long after Jamnitzer died in 1585 in Nuremberg.

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'Tafelaufsatz'

This remarkable piece of silverware is one of the Rijksmuseum's genuine treasures. This showpiece once adorned the table on special occasions. In Germany it is known as a 'Tafelaufsatz', a table ornament. This dish was used for fruit. Made in 1549, the dish was the work of the world famous silversmith Wenzel Jamnitzer. It was commissioned by the City of Nuremberg, where Jamnitzer lived, and was probably intended as a gift for Emperor Charles V, to be presented when he visited the city. This visit never took place. Jamnitzer has produced an incredibly skilled piece of work, using a new technique. Every single twig and flower - which look dried at first glance - was individually cast in silver.

Bright colours

This dish was designed to be used for fruit, as the decoration shows. The dish is supported on the shoulders of a female figure representing Mother Earth. She is standing on a small hill. Her bounty includes the plants and animals around her, as well as the fruit in the dish. Time has tarnished the plants and flowers on this piece. In the sixteenth century it would have looked completely different, with bright, natural colours painted with enamel. They would have looked almost real. Over the centuries, most of the paint has flaked off the leaves, but several buds along the edge of the dish still have some of their original colour.

Cast from nature

The entire piece is made of silver, part of which is gilded. It is difficult to establish how it was made. All of the miniature flora and fauna were cast from moulds made with real plants and animals. Jamnitzer probably used a casting technique whereby each fragile plant and animal is packed in a clay-like substance, which is then fired at a high temperature, reducing the enclosed object to ashes. Silver is subsequently poured into the mould via casting runners, inserted before firing. The silversmith then swings the mould around on a piece of rope, driving the silver into every nook and cranny, ensuring that even the minutest details are captured.

Fragile

Jamnitzer was not the only sixteenth-century artist with an eye for all that was small and insignificant in nature. His fellow townsman Albrecht Dürer, for example, paid great attention to plants, reminiscent of the tufts of grass on this showpiece.

This piece consists of many parts. The larger pieces are 'skewered' onto a central rod. Some of the smaller pieces are linked with tiny screws, others are soldered.

Case

The original case for this showpiece - a perfect fit - is also on display. The leather lining of the wooden case is superbly decorated with gold leaf. Jamnitzer's table ornament was on show in Nuremberg in 1985. The original case was not used for this journey. Instead, the piece was taken apart and transported in sections.

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