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SILVER CABINET FIGURE OF ELISABETH OF BURGUNDY, KURZ J. & CO GERMANY, HANAU, TURN OF THE 19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES
SILVER CABINET FIGURE OF ELISABETH OF BURGUNDY, KURZ J. & CO GERMANY, HANAU, TURN OF THE 19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES
An elegant cabinet figure executed by the German silversmithing firm Kurz J. & Co in Hanau at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, representing a characteristic example of historicist silverwork of this period.The figure depicts Elisabeth of Burgundy in ceremonial court attire with a crown and sceptre, symbols of her dynastic status. The sculpture is distinguished by the carefully modeled drapery of the garments and a complex system of ornamental decoration executed in chased and finely engraved techniques. The silver surface is treated with particular attention to the texture of fabrics and decorative borders, typical of high-quality productions of the Hanau silversmith workshops. The face and hands are carved in ivory, creating a striking contrast of materials and enhancing the sculptural expressiveness of the figure.The work reflects a well-established tradition among the silversmiths of Hanau at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century of drawing upon the iconography of European monumental sculpture and historical prototypes of the Gothic and Renaissance periods. Monumental memorial figures were thus translated into the format of cabinet-scale decorative sculpture intended for collectors’ interiors and cabinets of curiosities. In such works the monumental programs of historic monuments are reinterpreted through the medium of artistic silverwork, with particular attention devoted to the detailed rendering of historical costume, elaborate ornamental decoration and the architectural composition of the base, giving the sculpture the character of a miniature memorial monument.Marks: Maker’s mark of the workshop Kurz J. & Co, Hanau; German national silver hallmarks - crescent and crown, introduced after the establishment of the imperial hallmarking system in 1884; fineness mark “800”, indicating standard German silver of 800/1000 purity.Dimensions: Height 41 cm. Width 15 cm.Weight: 2046 g.Condition: Good collector’s condition.Provenance: Private collection, Hesse.Expert Report: Dr Daniel Suebsman, 2025. CITES certificate.
Begins 03.05.2026
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