Lost ivory jug back in the collection of the Berlin Museum of Decorative Arts
Press release from 03/14/2013
A precious ivory jug from the early 18th century has been returned to the collection of the Berlin Museum of Decorative Arts. The object had not returned from its storage location in Berlin after the Second World War and was long considered lost. The Prague Museum of Decorative Arts, which had acquired the piece in 1965 without knowing its provenance, has now returned the jug to the Berlin Museum of Decorative Arts. In return, the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation handed over a glass goblet that it had also acquired in good faith after the war. Before the Second World War, the goblet was in the collection of the former North Bohemian Museum, now the Severočeské Museum in Reichenberg / Liberec, and will be exhibited in Prague in the future.
Hermann Parzinger, President of the SPK, says: "I am delighted that the institutions involved have found this solution. The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation always endeavours to recover works from its collections that have been lost since the war. This is also a concern for other institutions. Today's exchange of objects shows that solutions can be found in partnership that are satisfactory for all sides. I consider it a successful example of the responsible handling of our common European heritage."
Helena Koenigsmarková, Director of the UPM Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, explains: "The UPM is making a long-term endeavour to check its holdings for art objects that were unlawfully seized from their former owners in the aftermath of the Second World War and are now considered lost. So far, only one such object has been discovered in the UPM's collections: the ivory jug by Maucher, which has now been returned. We are very happy about the solution we have found, which is the result of many years of friendly and trusting co-operation between the two museums in Prague and Berlin. I am delighted that the ivory jug has been returned to its place in Berlin and that the glass goblet has been handed over to the state collection of the UPM in Prague."
The recovered jug is a richly decorated carving by the famous German ivory and amber cutter Johann Michael Maucher (1645-1701). Maucher's works were highly coveted as showpieces by princely collectors. The Berlin jug made of ivory comes from the Royal Kunstkammer. Its underlying utilitarian form disappears behind the expressive decoration, which consists of animated scenes with large figures of gods, complemented by hunting scenes and putti. Grotesque hybrid creatures form the handle and spout of the jug. The object is the only surviving work from a series of so-called wash sets that were in the collection of the Berlin Museum of Decorative Arts, then the Palace Museum, before the war. Wash sets always consisted of a jug and an accompanying basin. The basin for the returned ivory jug has been lost. The jug is on display in the exhibition of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Köpenick Palace. The Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague has had it on loan to Berlin since 2009.
The richly decorated glass goblet is a Bohemian/Silesian piece from the first half of the 18th century. The intricately carved decoration shows a panoramic view of Amsterdam on one side, with the city's coat of arms and the coat of arms of the Netherlands above it, surrounded by bands of writing with the Latin name of the trading metropolis and numerous symbols. On the opposite side, the coat of arms of the city of Amsterdam is again depicted in large letters between symbols that primarily relate to trade.