Existing comment:
Writing Box
1560-1570
Wenzel Jamnitzer
Ordinarily set side by side in a single box, these pieces are the best examples of casting in silver from live specimens. Only a few artists knew the technique, but princes practiced it as well; it was recommended that they set up casting operations in the same complex as the alchemical furnace and laboratory. Wenzel Jamnitzer, court goldsmith to four Habsburg emperors -- Charles V, Ferdinand　I, Maximilian II, and Rudolf II -- was the master of life casting. One of the most celebrated works of silver in the world, this set is the apex of his considerable skills. |