A very large museum quality Augsburg silver sideboard dish
Large, round plate decorated in the centre with a repoussé depiction of the banquet of Belshazzar (Daniel 5). The broad rim decorated with finely chased figures of putti as allegories of enjoyment and idleness amid acanthus scrolls and cornucopias. Diameter 69 cm, weight 2,255 g.
Marks of Heinrich Mannlich, 1688 - 1689.
This relief shows the Old Testament scene in a palatial interior with tall columns, canopies and galleries. The Babylonian king has gathered his guests and concubines for a feast; the richly laden table is adorned with magnificent vessels that his father Nebuchadnezzar once captured from the Temple in Jerusalem. The depiction shows the king recoiling in fear at the sight of the inscription that appeared on the palace wall: “Mene mene tekel u-pharsin” (Daniel 5:25) - the prophecy of the downfall of his kingdom, which comes true that same night, when Belshazzar is killed by his servants.
Mannlich depicts the scene in extreme detail; the engraved structures of the textiles and robes appear just as naturalistic as the differences in the physiognomy of the figures.
Literature
Mannlich's works can now be found in the Württemberg State Museum and in the Treasury in Vienna, among many other museums. The Moscow Kremlin Museum preserves a monumental salver depicting the procession of Joseph, shown in the cat. Zarensilber, Augsburger Silber aus dem Kreml, Munich 2008, No. 66.