Megan Littlewood
Sale Coordinator
Lot 38
A monumental German silver and parcel-gilt tankard August Hosse, Halle / Saale, circa 1696, cover with import mark for Latvia
3 December 2025, 13:00 GMT
London, New Bond Street£20,000 - £30,000
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Ellis Finch
Head of Knightsbridge Silver Department
Lewis Browning
Specialist
A monumental German silver and parcel-gilt tankard
August Hosse, Halle / Saale, circa 1696, cover with import mark for Latvia
Of cylindrical form, the hinged domed cover with pierced decoration of putti amongst foliate scrolling, with a scrolling bifurcated thumbpiece, with a figural handle in the form of an Angel, the body fitted with a pierced sleeve depicting the story of Esther amongst scrolling foliage, the domed base with applied interspersed pierced scrolling panels, height 24cm, weight 68oz.
Of cylindrical form, the hinged domed cover with pierced decoration of putti amongst foliate scrolling, with a scrolling bifurcated thumbpiece, with a figural handle in the form of an Angel, the body fitted with a pierced sleeve depicting the story of Esther amongst scrolling foliage, the domed base with applied interspersed pierced scrolling panels, height 24cm, weight 68oz.
Footnotes
Property of a private collector.
Provenance:
Sold Sotheby's European Silver, Geneva, 14th May 1990, Lot 180.
Literature:
See Rosenberg, Vol II no. 2305 and 2324.
August Hosse (1657-1732): was one of the most respected citizens of the city of Halle (Saale), in Saxony-Anhalt. Hosse was not only a master craftsman but also one of the leaders of the four districts which Halle's municipal society was divided into at that time. Through his position as Council Leader, he was entrusted with the work to be assigned by the Council. Hosse worked in Halle at a time when the art of goldsmithing was in its ascendance.
The present example seems to belong to a group of similar tankards by Hosse, which also depict biblical scenes. There are at least two other known examples of this type, which all feature the same cage work to the covers and bases. One example currently held by Helga Matzke Ltd Grunwald, displays the scene of Rebecca and Eliezer at the Fountain. This example was likely inspired by Nicholas Poussin's 1648 'Rebecca and Eliezer at the Fountain' now held in the Louvre. The present example could also be said to be inspired by Poussin's 'Esther before Ahasuerus' 1655 now held in the Hermitage. The further example is with Peter Mühlbauer Kunsthandel Pocking the scene is not recorded but shares the same characteristics as the present example and the Rebecca and Eliezer example. These tankards all share the same stylistic qualities, and may all have belonged to a set.