BK-17008

About this artwork

town mark: ‘N’

Art Historical Context

**BK-17008 by Bartel Jamnitzer (ca. 1580)** This exquisite gilded artwork, standing at 25.8 cm high, 18.1 cm wide, and 14.8 cm deep, bears the town mark ‘N’ for Nuremberg, the renowned 16th-century hub of German goldsmithing Crafted by Bartel Jamnitzer, a master goldsmith whose family dominated the trade in this prosperous imperial free city, the piece exemplifies the Northern Renaissance's fusion of technical virtuosity and ornamental splendor. Jamnitzer, celebrated for his intricate designs and perspective studies, supplied luxury objects to emperors and nobility, elevating metalwork to fine art. The medium of gild—likely gilded silver or bronze—highlights the era's advanced techniques in chasing, engraving, and fire-gilding, where mercury and gold created a luminous, durable finish. Nuremberg's guilds enforced strict quality marks like the ‘N,’ ensuring authenticity amid booming trade in Renaissance treasures. Though its exact form (perhaps a casket or figurine) remains unspecified, BK-17008 reflects the cultural prestige of these diminutive yet opulent creations, symbols of wealth, piety, and humanistic ingenuity that bridged Gothic traditions with emerging Baroque excess. Visitors will appreciate how Jamnitzer's legacy endures in museum collections, showcasing Nuremberg's role as Europe's silversmith capital during a golden age of craftsmanship.