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Wed 15 May

Museum-quality Frankfurt narrow-necked jug Faience, overglaze decoration in purple camaieu. Circumferential decoration of a knotted drapery, decorated with three large still lifes of fruit and flowers, backed by feathery tendrils. A fine leafy branch around the upper neck, further similar branches around the lower base of the handle, various depictions of insects. Hinged lid with engraved handle cuff and chased foot rim in gilt silver. Struck base without mark. Yellowed retouch over a radial glaze crack around the lip rim. The foot for the silver mount polished. With thumb rest H 26.3 cm. Period Johann Christian Fehr, 1666 - 1693, vermeil mounting of the foot Nuremberg, Jacob Pfaff. Whoever may be the creator of this magnificent painting - there are very few pieces of comparable quality and none published that document Frankfurt production at this level at the end of the 17th century. The abundance of flowers and fruit, which are presented on a drapery attached to three knots, is just as impressive as the ability to create such fine nuances and shades in just one color. In contrast to all other known Frankfurt jugs from the workshop of Christian Fehr, which Adolf Feulner identified in 1935, here, in addition to the floral motifs, there are numerous, extremely finely painted insects buzzing around the still life on all sides. The base was mounted by the Nuremberg silversmith Jacob Pfaff, who was active between 1675 and 1708. He was inspired by the fine, feathery leaf tendrils and large flowers of the painting decoration and created a similar ornament in relief for the edge of the foot. A narrow-necked jug painted by Abraham Helmhack in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (acc. no. 1991.207.2) shows a much simpler mounting by his hand, which in turn perfectly complements the shape of the vessel. Provenance Helmut Spieß Collection. Acquired from Peter Vogt in Munich, 2014. Hessian private collection. Literature Cf. Feulner, Frankfurter Fayencen, Berlin 1935, ill. 148 f. Cf. Bauer, Frankfurter Fayencen aus der Zeit des Barock, Frankfurt 1988, cat. No. 11, the jug painted with a similar leaf tendril and bands from the Museum Angewandte Kunst Frankfurt collection, inv. no. Ke 737, also with purple signature "F". Cf. Brattig/Hesse (eds.), Der schöne Schein, Heidelberg-Berlin-Köln 2013, cat. No. 19, the Hanau faience jug with the same decoration in the Museum of Applied Arts Cologne collection, inv. no. E 2726 cl. Cf. the decoration by Abraham Helmhack on the Hanau jug in the Victoria & Albert Museum London Collection, acc. no. C.199-1923.

Estim. 10 000 - 15 000 EUR