A pair of Silver Soup-Toureens

Until recently, the tureens were owned by the Holstein-Gottorp family at the Güldenstein estate, so they were previously unknown to researchers. According to the curator of the Landesmuseum at Gottorp Castle, the tureens are among the most significant silver objects of the 18th century in Schleswig-Holstein.

The silver body and cover feature fruit and berry motifs and a scalloped border. The lid handle is in the form of stylized fruit on branches with flowers and leaves. The piece has two handles and four legs, all of which are openwork and curved. The serving plate features grapevines and an openwork border. The body is engraved with the coat of arms of the Prince-Bishops of Eutin: Adolf Friedrich (1710–1771, later King of Sweden) and Friedrich August (1711–1785). The bottom of the tureens is engraved and hallmarked with weight specifications. The présentoirs have a vine pattern.

Hans Heinrich Geertz, who worked in Eutin from 1759 to 1804, was appointed court goldsmith by Prince-Bishop Friedrich August in 1759. He became “Schützenvorsteher” (head of the Eutin guild) in 1768. Geertz’s works include the royal shield of 1763, which bears the coats of arms of the Prince-Bishops of Eutin. Hans Heinrich Geertz is often described in literature as the most important silversmith in the state of Schleswig-Holstein during the Baroque period.

Johann Wilhelm Dammann, who worked in Augsburg from 1748 to 1784, worked as a coin master from 1773 to 1776. He is considered one of the most important masters in the field of silver services from the mid-18th century. Several references to commissioned works by Présentoirs can be found in literature. Many of Dammann’s works are now in the Residenzmuseum in Munich.

Literature:

• Zeitschel, Bernt, Die Gold- und Silberschmiede im östlichen Schleswig-Holstein, von Flensburg bis Burg auf Fehmarn, Wachholz Verlag, Neumünster 1998.
• Schönfeld, Hans Georg, Ein Eutiner Hofgoldschmied, Neue Erkenntnisse zu Leben und Werk von Hans Heinrich Geertz, in Kunst & Antiquitäten, Jg. 3 (1987), s. 52.
• Seling, Helmut, Die Kunst der Augsburger Goldschmiede 1529-1869, Munich Vol. III, No. 2387.