Lot 703 Dα

The term “kaltemail” or “cold enamel” has been used in academic literature since the 19th century, but it is somewhat misleading since it suggests that this is an enamelling technique. The type of polychromy used on the finial of this piece and on several other items of silverware, for example works in the Grünes Gewölbe in Dresden or the Kunstkammer of the Historisches Museum in Vienna, is not in fact enamel, which must be melted, but a painting technique in which a pigment or lacquer is simply mixed with a suitable medium and painted on to the finished metalwork. For this reason, Weinhold/Witting have suggested the use of the term “polychromy” for this technique when found on silverware (cf. ibid., p. 16 ff.)
As might be expected, this kind of polychrome décor displays a much lower adhesion than a melted enamel glaze, thus it is extremely rare to find items with this kind of décor in public or private collections today. A second feature that makes this particular goblet unique is the delicately pierced base, which is rarely encountered on chalices of the 16th or 17th centuries. The standard work of the Germanisches Nationalmuseum from 2007 does not list a single example. Even in international museums there are few comparable pieces to be found, although one work with an almost identical base can be found in the Louvre in Paris (inv. no. OA 628).