Estimate

20.000 - 25.000

Session 3

5 June 2025

Hammer Price

Description

Coconut shell with engraved gilt silver mounts
Cover surmounted by a crowned ram holding a shield with engraved coat of arms
Germany, 16th/17th century
Import mark, probably Austrian, circa 1806
Unmarked
(minor signs of wear)

Height: 27 cm

Additional Information

The arms depicted on this cup may be related to one of several Germanic communal brotherhoods or militias, possibly from Saxony, Silesia, or Upper Lusatia. The shield is crested with a ram, a heraldic motif frequently associated with the noble Rechenberg family.
This piece may have been made for Melchior von Rechenberg, a prominent member of Germanic nobility between the 16th and 17th centuries. Born in 1549, Melchior had a notable career, holding positions such as counsellor of the Bohemian Court of Appeal and, later, governor of the County of Glatz.
He studied in Italy (in Padua, Siena, and Bologna). Upon returning to the Holy Empire, he accumulated various properties in Silesia and Upper Lusatia and was elevated to nobility with the titles of Baron of Bohemia and, subsequently, Imperial Baron, adopting the designation "von Klitschdorf und Primbkenau".
The Rechenberg family's documented origins date back to the 13th century, and their presence extended across various regions of Central Europe throughout the centuries.