A signed box made by Michel Mann - image-1
A signed box made by Michel Mann - image-2
A signed box made by Michel Mann - image-1A signed box made by Michel Mann - image-2

Lot 837 Dα

A signed box made by Michel Mann

Auction 1244 - overview Cologne
15.05.2024, 16:00 - Decorative Arts Furniture
Estimate: 3.000 € - 4.000 €
Result: 13.860 € (incl. premium)
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A signed box made by Michel Mann

Gilt brass and copper, blued steel, remnants of silk (presumably original). Rectangular coffer on bun feet with hinged lid and original key. Open lock with four bolts. With engraved decor throughout depicting two gentlemen with rapiers to the lid, three ladies and three gentlemen to the outer walls, a doe to the underside and a lady to the base on the interior. Engraved "MICHEL MAN" to the movable edge of the lid. Upper handle missing, minor abrasions and scratches. H 4.5, W 7.2, D 4.9 cm.
Augsburg or Nuremberg, first third 17th C.

Berger has researched the archival records of the Mann family of gunsmiths and metalworkers. There is evidence of Michael or Michel Mann in Augsburg until 1616. However, he died in Nuremberg in 1630. The signatures on his famous boxes vary. Nothing is known about the designs used for the decor, but engravings by Dominicus Custos, who was born in Antwerp and died in Augsburg in 1612, are a possible source of motifs.

Literature

Cf. various comparable boxes from the workshop of Conrad and Michael Mann in Berger, Prunkkassetten, Meisterwerke aus der Hans Schell Collection, Graz 1998, p. 117 ff.
Cf. also Lempertz Cologne auction 1131 on 17th May 2019, lot 795.