A magnificent carved ivory tankard with deer in the forest
Carved ivory tankard, translucent in some areas when held up to the light, with a wooden ring to the interior. Carved with deer and a pack of dogs in two forest landscapes divided by vertical grapevines. The lid crowned by a group of animals. The base, shaft, and rim of the lid decorated with Gothic style foliage, Baroque scrolls, and ivy. The edge of the lid additionally carved with garlands of flowers and fruit. Signed and dated in the lower section "Fr. Hartmann Michelstadt i.O. 1857." With a stapled and concealed vertical crack to the interior, probably occurring during production. A small thorn-shaped breakage to the upper edge with an old restoration. Minimal chips to the carving. H 58.2 cm.
Michelstadt, Friedrich Hartmann, 1857.
This important tankard follows in the Erbach tradition of animal carvings that began with Ernst Kehrer (1816 - 1876). Kehrer was known for his carved miniatures of deer, which were used for jewellery making. Friedrich Hartmann (1833 - 1898) ran his studio in Michelstadt, not far from Erbach. Following his great success at the Paris World Fair in 1855 and in Vienna in 1873 he came to be regarded as the greatest ivory carver of his era. His works are characterised by an outstanding attention to detail and the placement of bold freestanding elements even in delicate areas of the carving, made possible by Hartmann's experience in micro-carving. The design of the foliage and gnarly boughs is typical of his work, following a more romantic than realistic manner of depicting nature. He specialised in translucent ivory carving that glows in many colours when held up to the light, evoking an atmosphere of realism in which the animals seem to come to life.
Provenance
Purchased from Sotheby´s Belgravia, December 14th, 1978, lot 27.
Literature
Cf. two lamp shades and a bacchus chalice by Hartmann in cat.: Macht & Pracht, Europas Glanz im 19. Jahrhundert, Annweiler 2006, p. 114 ff.