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Augenpaar einer Totenmaske, um 664-342 v. Chr. (Spätzeit), Bronze, Glas, Fayence, MK&G
Tour
Ground floor
The ground floor contains numerous period rooms that exemplify different epochs and styles. It also houses exhibits from ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome. The Italian Renaissance is represented by display cabinets, small-scale sculptures and maiolica. Objects that originated in connection with the Christian and Jewish faiths are also displayed on this floor, as are harpsichords, clavichords, lutes and an extensive porcelain collection.
Favourite Objects
Lukanisch-rotfiguriger Glockenkrater, Brooklyn-Budapest-Maler, um 380–360 v. Chr., Eigentum der Republik Italien, Foto: MK&G/Maria Thrun
Bell-crater
It is usually exciting scientific observations or aesthetics that turn an object into a favourite. This was initially the case with this Greek mixing vessel for wine and water. The depiction of Hermes, the messenger of the gods, as a caricature with a pointed nose, small belly, skinny legs and huge sex accompanied by a satyr and maenad is unique. But this time the attraction lies elsewhere. On display as a private loan since 1983, the museum purchased this special vase in 2008 after careful examination in order to make it permanently accessible to the public and scholars. In 2020, the Comando Carabinieri per la Tutela del Patrimonio Culturale, the Italian police unit specialising in the protection of cultural property, contacted the museum: the vase had turned up in the confiscated documents of Sicilian art dealer Gianfranco Becchina. Mafia contacts, illegal trading, receiving stolen goods - the charges were manifold and the burden of proof overwhelming, so that all sales were declared unlawful by a court in Rome. The immediate restitution by the museum and years of commitment to the protection of archaeological cultural assets resulted in an agreement on close cooperation with Italy - away from purchases and towards permanent loans. And so the vase is back in the collection for four years.
Frank Hildebrandt, Head of the Ancient Art and Antiquities Collection
Louis-Seize-Raum, um 1775, Hamburg, Foto: Roman Raacke
Louis Seize Room
No glass, no display case! I'm standing in the middle of my favourite exhibit, the Louis Seize Room. The Hamburg merchant and councillor Nikolaus Gottlieb Lütkens (1716-1788) imported this panelled room from France around 1780 and had it installed in his house at Katharinenstrasse 17. Shortly before the house was demolished in 1877, the then director of the MK&G, Justus Brinckmann, acquired the panelling, “one of the most outstanding pieces in the collection”. With its flower garlands, tendrils, antique vases, ribbons and crossed olive branches, this room is perfect Louis Seize. This style goes back to an initiative by Madame de Pompadour, who, probably tired of rococo, had sent an art delegation to Rome to study classical decorative elements. Whenever I'm in the museum, I always make a detour to my favourite exhibit and enjoy the perfect symmetry and harmony that this room radiates. In the 19th century as a showroom and concert hall for the C. H. Schröder piano factory, this room was hopefully conducive to sales! In any case, it was a beautiful setting for a piano recital by the 17-year-old Johannes Brahms on 14 April 1849. Today, the room houses three pieces of furniture by Abraham and David Roentgen as well as a modern replica of the Wandelkommode, which invites you to discover the functions of the original.
Emmanuelle Bertrand, Volunteer Employee
Elfenbeinskulptur mit Contrefait-Kugel, Süddeutschland, 17. Jh., Foto: MK&G/Jörg Arend
Contrefait ball
The actual meaning of the word contrefait is counterfeit, imitation or fused, the second wonder ball. At first glance, the object with the French name, which sounds like a sweet, looks like a work of art from Asia. However, this is actually a 17th century South German turner's work, made from ivory, a widely travelled material. The large, multi-layered sphere fascinates between the various small plates, coils and rings strung together like a string of pearls. The other spheres inside are movable independently of each other and demand the highest level of craftsmanship, as the object is made from a single piece and not, as one might initially assume, assembled. It is possible that the piece has become eccentric over time, but perfect symmetry may never have been the intention. In keeping with the original meaning of the word, perhaps it is a game of hide-and-seek, a riddle, a carrier of secrets? Who was it meant to impress, was it considered a pastime - for thinking, dreaming, puzzling, watching, turning and wanting to play? Among all the useful things in the display case, vases and drinking vessels - a little provocation. Not for the sake of, just for: joy. And therefore a favourite.
Julia Behrend, Senior Registrar
Tabatière in Form eines Mopses, um 1750, Deutschland, MK&G, Foto: Roman Raacke
Snuff box
Bright fur, big eyes, pink tongue and collar - this enamel box is a tabatière in the shape of a pug. Alongside other containers and smelling bottles in neighbouring display cases, which take the form of pears, bouquets of flowers, heads and even a clergyman in a gown, this display case is dedicated to the dog. I am familiar with the fact that cans in the 18th century were designed in various and sometimes unusual shapes, but this collection of pug figurines is astonishing. With the exoticising enthusiasm for the so-called Chinese fashion, the dog breed originating from East Asia came into the European salons, but this tabatière had a specific function: as a gift within the “pug order”. This was presumably a secret Masonic order founded in 1740, to which women also belonged and whose members referred to themselves as “pugs”. At that time valued as a symbol of loyalty and solidarity, the pug nowadays has a rather negative connotation due to its over-breeding and chubby stature and is also used as a derogatory term for breasts and overweight people. Critical, whimsical and somehow also cute - this pug tabatière combines much greater meanings than a first glance might suggest.
Carina Engelke, Freiraum Team
Statuette der Göttin Isis, 1. Jahrhundert n. Chr., Bronze, Foto: MK&G/Maria Thrun
The goddess Isis
Due to its detailed design, the statuette of the Egyptian goddess Isis is undoubtedly one of the highest quality figurative bronzes and one of the top pieces in the Collection of Classical Antiquities. Her cult was popular from the late 4th century BC and spread under the Romans throughout the Mediterranean as far as Britain. As people equated her with numerous Greek and Roman goddesses and associated her with different tasks, she was nicknamed Myrionýmos, the goddess with ten thousand names. She stands on a rectangular base with four feet. Her left leg is in front of her, her right arm stretched out in front of her. The hem of a fine robe (chiton) peeks out from beneath her long cloak. Above this, the goddess wears the knotted palla, the characteristic Isis robe, which is knotted at chest height and has a fringed hem. In her left hand, which hangs down from her body, she holds a small bucket (situla). A uraeus snake is entwined around her right forearm. Her face is framed by a tiered wig with twisted curls, another characteristic of Isis. She wears a diadem decorated with a uraeus serpent and a crown of Hathor; this consists of a lower part, ears of corn protruding from the sides and elongated, lyre-shaped cow horns enclosing a sun disc in front of a pair of feathers.
Frank Hildebrandt, Curator of the Ancient Art and Antiquities Collection
Textilbesatz mit Wachtel, Ägypten, koptisch, 5. bis 6. Jh., Foto: MK&G/Gisela Körbelin
Coptic knitting
A quail trundles through bushes and desert sand towards the green-lined banks of the Nile. It has almost reached the reed belt; on one side the dusty country road with the Pharaoh's approaching chariot, on the other lizards, snakes and crocodiles in the shallow waters of the river. Out of the frying pan into the fire, so to speak. At the same time, a small herd of sheep crosses the road, with only the green of the riverbank in sight, and the inevitable takes its course: chariot and lamb collide. As the cloud of dust settles, a few golden feathers float to the ground. In the wrong place at the wrong time. It's called fate. So the lambs deliver the wool for the yarn of this knitting factory faster than planned, because their shepherd may not have been paying attention, but he is travelling sustainably and doesn't let anything go to waste. He brings the sheep and bird back to his wife, who puts them to good use. All those involved have long since crumbled to dust, only the Coptic wool weaving with the quail motif on a linen garment has survived the last 1.500 years in a colourful freshness. This fine piece has been part of our textile collection since 1897.
Jenny Brauer, Collections Management Fashion and Textiles
Oktavcembalo/Ottavina, Italien, um 1720, Foto: MK&G/Angela Franke
Octave harpsichord / ottavina
This particular ottavina puts me in a melancholy mood with its subtle light blue tones, which fade into a soft dark blue, and the fragile construction of the curved legs. I put myself in the shoes of a well-heeled Italian woman of the 1720s and imagine the once wonderfully high-pitched sound of this small but fine piano-like object. I have the impression that as soon as I touch this delicate Ottavina, it would break into a million tiny pieces. It would be impossible to put it back together again in such a beautiful way. I often revel in the past. This object also seems to be stuck in the past. The pictures on the inside of the wings and the border tell many stories of their own, possible past or future stories. The many small details, for example on the keys, or the paintings of angels on the inside show how much work and sensitivity has been put into this octave harpsichord. An effort and attention to craftsmanship that would be almost unthinkable today. I find it all the sadder that nothing is known about the workshop.
Ela Nur Aydogdu, Intern Communication Department
Stube aus dem Bauernhaus des Joachim Krey, Klein-Wisch, 1744, Foto: Roman Raacke
Wilstermarscher Room
My favourite object is the Wilstermarscher Room on the ground floor of the museum. The room as a period room is a collection of objects: Chests, chairs, tables, stoves and wall panelling dating from the mid-18th century and the aforementioned Wilstermarsch region northwest of Hamburg. I walk past during my breaks and enjoy the tranquillity inherent in this part of the permanent exhibition. The floorboards creak and I pause. Not that someone will end up peeking out from the other side of the closed and ornate door and sternly inviting me to the table. The windows are opaque and don't allow a view, but their cold light illuminates the dark room, which feels both confining and cosy. It is a wintry midday light and I imagine how the snow lies on the fields and the marsh behind the steamed-up window pane. Birds are searching underneath for the lost remains of the last harvest. I can make myself comfortable for a moment, because the cold doesn't find its way into my room, nor do the pigeons or the approaching trains from the railway station, which conceal the real field behind the imagined snowy landscape.
Tilman Walther, Curator and Head of Freiraum
Glaskännchen aus „Schackert-Porzellan“, 1751/63, Glashütte Basdorf, Foto: MK&G/Roman Mishchuk
Glass jug
Glass or porcelain, that is the question here. The small, somewhat inconspicuous-looking jug is perhaps not one of the most beautiful exhibits at the MK&G, yet it fascinates me. It is the result of an attempt by the Schackert brothers in Brandenburg to produce the porcelain known from China in Europe in the 18th century. Although the jug is made of glass, it was not moulded by blowing, as is usually the case, as traces of processing on the inside show. The appearance of the jug is also in stark contrast to other glassware: The typical lustre is missing and the surface appears almost dirty and not as bright white as frosted glass. But what exactly is the composition of the material and was the uneven shape intentional or a result of the manufacturing process? Even after considering various observations, there are still more questions than answers, which even research (so far) cannot really answer. Until then, the jug continues to exert its magical attraction and I remain in front of the display case, hoping that the jug will one day reveal its secret to me.
Annika Thielen, European Decorative Arts and Sculpture Collection
Cembalo, Pascal Taskin, Paris, 1787, Sammlung Prof. Dr. Andreas Beurmann, Foto: MK&G/Roman Mishchuk
Harpsichord / Pascal Taskin
This instrument holds at least as many mysteries as a tangled detective story. First of all, a signature above the keys leads to the rich port city of Antwerp. There, in the 16th century, just a few streets away from the house of the painter Rubens, the Ruckers family ran their workshop. Their instruments were of such outstanding quality that they were still being traded in France as precious prestige objects a good century later. And indeed, there is a second signature on the top of the soundpost, this time by Pascal Taskin, the French king's harpsichord maker. He claims to have reworked the instrument in Paris in 1787. But is this true at all? Rather, it looks as if Taskin sold his client a new instrument as an expensive antique. The story doesn't end there, because inside the body there is a repair note from the Henri Herz piano workshop from 1866. As one of the rare harpsichords still preserved from the time before the French Revolution, it was lavishly restored at the time. The rediscovery of early music is beginning, but this is really a new story.
Olaf Kirsch, Curator Musical Instruments Collection
Weihrelief, griechisch, 4. Jh. vor Christus, Foto: MK&G, Maria Thrun
Antique consecration relief
The depiction of a pair of ears in the form of a marble relief seems somewhat curious. However, such artefacts are not rare: they are votive offerings that were often found around sacred buildings, especially ancient temples. These votive offerings were dedicated to a deity either as a request for healing or as thanks for the recovery of the depicted organ. Examples of such replicated body parts of all kinds made of various materials, usually clay or stone, can be seen in the MK&G's Antiquities Collection. Whether this relief comes from one of the important sanctuaries of the healing god Asklepios, for example from Epidauros or Kos, can unfortunately no longer be determined due to a missing inscription. In the special case of this relief with the ears, another interpretation is conceivable, even the more accurate one: Possibly it was intended for one of the "listening deities" (Gr. theoí epékooi) (e.g. Aphrodite), in the hope that she might help the worries and needs of those praying. Both interpretations lead me to wonder whether human or divine ears are meant here.
Ulrike Blauth, Marketing
Hamburger Schapp, Hamburg, um 1700, Foto: Sönke Ehlert
Hamburger Schapp
"But it won't fit in the living room" said a visitor to her companion as I stood in front of the "Hamburger Schapp" in the Hamburger Zimmer on the ground floor. At 2.60 metres high and 2.80 metres wide, the baroque cabinet is also too large for most Hamburg flats. The "Hamburger Schapp" was created at the end of the heyday of the Hanseatic cities around 1700 and even then was not intended for the living room, but for the large hallways of the merchants' houses. Although "Schapp" only means "cupboard", it describes a certain magnificent type of cupboard that was widespread throughout the North German coastal region. The "Hamburger Schapp" is therefore veneered with the precious walnut wood that was fashionable at the time and is decorated with elaborate carvings. In the carvings, the builder demonstrates extensive knowledge of the Bible. More than 20 figures are depicted, mainly female figures from the Old Testament. The putti on the capitals symbolise the Christian virtues of faith, love and hope, and the famous judgement of Solomon can be seen on the cornice of the cabinet. With its size and preciousness, the cabinet is an exciting testament to Hanseatic wealth.
Augustin Lavik, Annual Intern Conservation Furniture and Wooden Objects
Fragment einer Rippenschale, 1. Jh. n. Chr., Foto: MK&G, Public Domain
Glass fragment
This fascinating close-up of an ancient glass fragment comes from the MK&G Collection Online. In reality, the glass fragments are very, very small - just a few centimetres. A selection is on display on the ground floor in the Ancient Art and Antiquities collection. Go on a search for them, it's worth it. In bright colours, filigree patterns and abstract shapes, they lie together in a display case. You should then definitely take a look at more fragments in large view, very close and detailed, in the online collection of the MK&G: Simply enter the word "glass fragment" into the search field and browse through the close-ups - each one more beautiful than the next. I can't get enough of the diverse fragments, which remind me of abstract paintings. By the way, the images of the glass fragments are all in the public domain, so they can be downloaded and used for any purpose. I am sure: at least one image will make it into an album cover. At the latest, if I should ever form a band myself.
Philipp Göbel, Digital Communication
Relieffragment aus dem Grab des Maja, Ägypten, Sakkara, um 1350–1310 v. Chr., MK&G
Egyptian relief
In the summer of 1981, I excitedly visited the "Tutankhamun" exhibition at the MK&G alongside my history teacher at the time. I can still remember the exciting journey by train from Lüneburg. The queue of visitors stretched as far as the Alster and I could hardly wait to finally admire the pharaoh's death mask. At that time, I had no idea that many years later I would work in this special museum as assistant to the director. The catalogue still has a place of honour on my bookshelf and my interest in Egyptian art has increased since then. November 2022 marks the centenary of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. This is one more reason why the relief fragment from the tomb of Maya is one of my favourite objects in this house. It is a fragment from the relief wall of a burial chamber. Maya is the name given to the pharaoh's treasurer. He holds lotus flowers in his right hand as a special gift for the tomb lord. On closer inspection, one can see many small pigments whose colourfulness is still visible today. What a special phenomenon!
Gerrit Irmela Scharpen, Assistant to the Director
„Memento Mori“, Niederlande, um 1650, Buchsbaum, MK&G
Quatrefoil head Memento Mori
In the European Decorative Arts and Sculpture Collection, a small, finely crafted object always catches my eye: the quatrefoil head made of boxwood around 1650 reminds the viewer of the inseparability of life and death in its function as a "Memento Mori": the face of a child, a woman, a man and a skull on the four sides of the head symbolise the inexorable course of our precious lifetime. The head reminds us that we should no longer wait to shape our lives, but do what makes life our own. The head of four shows me that everything is already there, that I bring with me from birth, that everything is pre-drawn. My task is to find out what exactly that is, what my place is in the big picture. The millennia-long process by which humanity has created cultures and continually evolved seems to me powerless in the face of its own origin, nature itself. We are human beings. We live, breathe, pass away. No more and no less. And it is precisely this that gives us the freedom to draw from the full in harmony with being human.
Dominik Nürenberg, Communication
Tetradrachme, Silber, um 320–300 v. Chr., geprägt in Entella (Sizilien), MK&G
Tetradrachm from Entella
This silver coin, minted around 320 to 300 BC, may serve as an example for the numerous stories to be discovered in the collections. It came into the MK&G in 1921 as a brooch. The obverse depicts the head of the spring nymph Arethusa framed by dolphins. The reverse shows a horse's head with a palm tree. A Phoenician inscription refers to Entella, a Punic city in Sicily, as the place of minting. In the myth, the river god Alpheios harasses the nymph. With the help of the goddess Artemis, Arethusa, who has been transformed into a spring, manages to escape to Sicily, where she reappears as a life-giver a stone's throw from the sea. She becomes the patron saint of the city of Syracuse, founded by Greeks in the 8th century BC, which develops into one of the most powerful metropolises in southern Italy, and adorns the city's coins. Perhaps it is the beautiful story or the enchanting face of Arethusa that lead to the adoption of the Greek motif by Entella. More likely, however, is the orientation towards the Greek centre of power, for coins in antiquity not only served as a means of payment, but were an important medium for the transmission of news and propaganda.
Dr. Frank Hildebrandt, Curator, Head of the Ancient Art and Antiquities Collection
Gliedermann, Monogrammist I.P., Passau, um 1525, MK&G
Gliedermann
When I look into our Gliedermann's wooden eyes, at his imposing beard and curly hair, I recognise a man I used to meet regularly ages ago in the pampas of central Hesse. A childhood figure slowly fading from memory. "Bagger-Hans", probably around 40 at the time, was an illustrious, ever-singing friend of my grandpa's, and, as his nickname suggests, a digger driver. Hans and the man with the limbs are practically twins. In front of the display case, I ponder whether the mysterious "I.P." who carved the limb figure almost exactly half a millennium ago (!) also had a real person in mind. A friend, perhaps? His teacher, or someone he was in love with? But probably he was an anonymous ideal figure who was supposed to teach the inquisitive something about the body and its proportions. Or was the little wooden figure perhaps an aid for the painters, like today's figures with limbs? Or even a children's toy, the Ken for the 16th century Barbies? Wasn't I supposed to have found out more about that a long time ago? Anyway, for me he can remain the ancestor of Bagger-Hans.
Dennis Conrad, curator, exhibitions and projects
Liegender Anubis, Ägypten, Spätzeit, 664–342 v.Chr., MK&G
Lying Anubis from a coffin
Choosing a favourite object in a house full of favourite objects turns out to be a difficult task. Do I take the Feininger toy from the Applied Arts and Design Collection or rather the tea bowl with crane from the East Asian Collection? Spontaneously, I decide on the filigree jackal sculpture of the god Anubis. I am particularly attracted by the straightforward depiction of the animal. In Egyptian small sculptures or reliefs, the reduced forms always catch the eye. The emphasis on the outer lines also has a strong graphic effect and makes it easier to grasp what is being depicted. The use of familiar animals as figures of the gods also creates a direct link to one's own surroundings, so that one can feel very close to the gods. This figure belonged to a lid of a small coffin, which is connected to the meaning of Anubis. Thus Anubis, son of Osiris and Isis, was the god of the necropolis and responsible for the ritual preparation of the corpse, especially the embalming, mouth opening and burial ceremony. The god escorted the deceased before Osiris, weighed the heart and led the dead into the afterlife.
Annika Pohl-Ozawa, Registrar
Amulett mit Bezoarstein, Deutschland, 17. Jh., Bezoar mit Goldfiligranfassung, MK&G
Amulet with bezoar stone
The bezoar stone set in gilded silver is an enigmatic object in many respects. In 1952 it was acquired from the collection of Johannes Jantzen. Since the Bremen lawyer and art dealer collaborated with the Nazi regime, the origin of the bezoar was researched in order to rule out an unfair acquisition. But its history could not be clarified until now. An orange triangle now indicates that it is being examined as part of the provenance research at the MK&G. Bezoars have been said to have secret powers since the Middle Ages. They are supposed to protect against poisons in food. This effect is derived from their formation. The bezoars, also known as stomach stones, bind indigestible food residues in the stomachs of ruminants. When the clumps are disgorged, they dry out like stones. The name bezoar is derived from the Persian "padzahr", the word for antidote. The particularly large stones probably come from the Middle East and originate from camels. From the 16th century onwards, they were polished or precious set as collector's items in the art chambers. The bezoar in the MK&G has an eyelet and can also be worn around the neck on a chain for protection.
Dr. Silke Reuther, Provenance Research
Prunktisch, Carl Friedrich Heinrich Plambeck, Hamburg, 1851, Palisanderholz mit Intarsien, MK&G, Foto: Roman Raacke
Point table
The Hamburg cabinetmaker Carl Friedrich Heinrich Plambeck received a prize at the World's Fair in London for his showpiece table made in 1851. The elaborately designed table was even described as one of the "most beautiful works" shown there. To demonstrate his skill, Plambeck used thinly cut mother-of-pearl, ivory and metal for ornate surface decoration in addition to exotic woods. What is special for me, however, are the coloured inlays. They form backgrounds, flower garlands as well as clothing in strong colours. What kind of material is this, I have always asked myself. The former MK&G furniture restorer Horst Krause restored this table in the early 1980s and, as a trainee at the time, drew my attention to the remarkable technique. Animal glue, mixed with blue, red, yellow or green pigments, has been poured out as a thin slab and sawn out like veneer. In a relatively short period around the mid-1850s, this colourful technique was used on furniture throughout Germany.
Carola Klinzmann, Conservation Furniture and Wooden Objects
Janus, Mars und Minerva, Giovanni Battista Foggini, Florenz, um 1710/15, Bronze, MK&G
Sculpture group Janus, Mars and Minerva
"I am more interested in the future than in the past, for I intend to live in it." This sentence by Albert Einstein comes to mind when I look at the sculpture group. Janus, the god with two faces, one young, the other marked by age, is omnipresent. Uniting youth and age, he symbolises past and future, beginning and end. Minerva kneels before him. Is she, the patron goddess of war, wisdom and the arts, mourning the past? Or does she hope for an answer from the aged Janus in order to be able to avert an imminent danger? In contrast, Mars, the god of war and violence, stands in front of Janus in a confident pose, without even glancing at him. Undeterred, he pursues his brute warfare, but is in competition with Minerva. For she embodies intelligence and strategy, qualities that have already helped her to prevail against Mars. What I find fascinating is not only the realisation of the ancient myth, but also the topicality of the baroque sculpture. We should all learn from the past and make the right decision that we can live with in the future.
Franziska Schmottlach, Intern European Decorative Arts and Sculpture Collection
Unbekannter Fotograf, Junger Mann beim Aufsetzen seiner Brille, um 1850, Daguerreotypie, MK&G
Daguerreotype
The inventory card for this daguerreotype, which was unusual for its time, succinctly states "Young man putting on glasses". When it was patented in 1839, the daguerreotype was the first practical photographic process, but its production was costly: Silver-plated copper plates served as image carriers, which had to be polished, made light-sensitive with iodine and developed in highly toxic mercury vapour immediately after the picture was taken. Each picture was a costly unique specimen. The bourgeois clientele had themselves posed accordingly in the studios in front of draped curtains and painted landscape backdrops. The "Young Man" cares surprisingly little about these conventions when he looks past the camera with a slightly strained gaze and covers his face with his raised hands and half-attached visual aid. He had to hold still in front of the camera for up to half a minute for this apparent snapshot. Whether this photograph was meant to illuminate how the new medium sharpens the gaze will remain a mystery - neither the sitter nor the photographer are known. Her work, however, is an invitation to go on a voyage of discovery in the rich detail of these photographic miniatures.
Sven Schumacher, Photography and New Media Collection
Rippenschale, römisch, um 30 v. Chr. bis 50 n. Chr., Fundort unbekannt, Glas, MK&G
Ancient ribbed bowl made of glass
Among all the great objects in the Collection of Ancient Art and Antiquities, the vases, the sculptures, the small art, it stands out visually: the small Roman ribbed bowl made of mosaic glass, whose intense blue captivates the viewer's gaze. This blue is further emphasised by a white spiral pattern with a three-dimensional impression. But this bowl impresses me not only because of its ravishing colour. The artist has pulled out all the stops of his skill for it, culminating in centuries of experience in handling this precious material. The colourful effect of the glass was aimed at replicating vessels made of precious stones such as agate, giving free rein to imagination and chance. And the most amazing thing: despite the fragile material, the glass bowl has survived the millennia almost unscathed. This may be due to the fortunate circumstance that it served as a burial object, or to the fact that this little treasure has always been appreciated and protected over the course of time. For me, the mystery of its exact origin, its owners and its path through history also contribute to the fascination that this object exudes.
Ulrike Blauth, Marketing
Ground floor impressions
DRIFT, Shylight, 2006, Choreografierte Lichtinstallation, Seide, Aluminium, rostfreier Stahl, Elektronik, Motoren, Software, Foto: Henning Rogge
Volutenkrater, Dareios-Maler, apulisch-rotfigurig, um 340 v. Chr., Ton, MK&G, Foto: Henning Rogge
Herkules, Antaeus und Nereus, Modell für eine Bronzefigur, Frankreich, um 1730/50, Terrakotta, MK&G
Christuskind, Gregor Erhart, um 1500, Augsburg, Lindenholz mit ursprünglicher Farbfassung, MK&G, Foto: Henning Rogge
Im Vordergrund: Cembalo, unbekannter Erbauer, Italien, um 1540, MK&G
Affe, Johann Gottlieb Kirchner, Meissen, um 1732/33 (Modell), Porzellan, MK&G
Restaurierungsprozess der Vier Jahreszeiten, MK&G, Foto: MK&G/Roman Mishchuk
Preserving a Baroque Treasure
The “Four Seasons”
On the ground floor of the MK&G a project offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes of museum work: The exhibition showcases the complex restoration of the miniature ensemble “The Four Seasons” by Zittau goldsmith Christoph Ertel (1670–1719) – a magnificent example of Baroque treasure art.
In a compact and vivid format, the cabinet exhibition conveys key stages of the research project: from Ertel’s masterful craftsmanship and the intricate construction of the objects to the remarkable diversity of materials used. Research has shown that up to 20 different materials were employed in the ensemble – including painted ivory, gilded and enamelled silver, glass, pearls, and precious stones such as diamonds, rubies, emeralds and jasper. Additional findings and a selection of goldsmith’s tools further illustrate the uniqueness of Christoph Ertel’s “Four Seasons”.
Christoph Ertel, Die Vier Jahreszeiten, Zittau, Sachsen, um 1715, MK&G, Foto: MK&G/Roman Mishchuk
Christoph Ertel, „Herbst” (Detail) aus den Vier Jahreszeiten, Zittau, Sachsen, um 1715, MK&G, Foto: MK&G/Roman Mishchuk
The research on Ertel’s “Four Seasons” at MK&G was conducted in cooperation with the State Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart and the Mineralogical Museum of the University of Hamburg.
The restoration project is supported by the Rudolf-August Oetker Foundation.
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