2887 - Jan Dix, silver altar cross

Jan Dix, silver altar cross 20th century, silver hallmarked 1000, crescent moon, crown, maker’s mark ‘DIX’ within a circle, gold-plated silver; a cross embossed from silver sheet and set with angular enamel decorations and individual pearls, depicting Christ, with the inscription on the reverse: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life”, two fitted chains for hanging from the ceiling, filled, signs of age, enamel in places slightly hairline-cracked, cross dimensions 35 x 28 x 3 cm, chain length approx. 66 cm. Artist information: German goldsmith and artist (1928, Dresden - 2019, Öhningen on Lake Constance); initially studied music to become a jazz musician, then studied silversmithing and goldsmithing under Professor Rickert at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich; created high-quality, sometimes bizarrely mythical one-off jewellery, fine silverwork and small sculptures, he was a patron of the legacy and former home of his father, Otto Dix, in Hemmenhofen; his artistic work has been honoured posthumously through, amongst other things, special exhibitions at the Gera Art Collection (2019/2020) and the Haus Dix Museum (2022). Source: Vollmer, Dressler and the internet.