Jeremias Ritter

Tankard

c. 1620-1640
Category: 
European and American Painting, Sculpture, and Decorative Arts
After the Reformation, German silversmiths specialised in domestic silver. Drinking vessels predominated, perhaps because of the belief that infections could be warded off by drinking from containers of precious metal. This tankard of silver with an applied surface of gold has a hinged lid and a scrolled handle, featuring the face of a woman as a thumb rest.

Marks and Labels

On the neck of jug and bezel of lid:

Arm with a sword in hand and three mullets in a shield

(Rosenberg, M. “Der Goldschmiede Merkzeichen”, Frankfurt 1922-28, no. 3882)

“N” (assay mark for 1600-1700)

Provenance

by 1897
Saly Fürth, Mainz, Germany (?) [1]

– 1969/02/06
Julius Böhler, Munich, Germany [2]

1969/02/06 –
National Gallery of Canada, purchased from Julius Böhler [3]

Notes

[1] The tankard can possibly identified with the one listed by M. Rosenberg in “Der Goldschmiede Merkzeichen”: “gilded melon shaped jug with lid and punched flowers” by Jeremias Ritter (H 22 cm) that has been in the collection of Saly Fürth, Mainz in 1897 [Frankfurt 1922–28, vol.3, p. 86, no. 3882 ii]. Saly Fürth was a German-Jewish businessman who had assembled a reputable collection of silverworks.

[2] See note [3].

[3] Accession log [NGC curatorial file].


Artist
Title
Tankard
Date
c. 1620-1640
Medium
Silver
Materials
silver gilt
Dimensions
28144
Nationality
German
Credit line
Purchased 1969
Accession number
15763