Tureen and stand

Description

This mercury gilt silver tureen on a stand is one of a pair made as part of a table service for the court of Frederick Augustus, who in 1733 became Elector of Saxony and by 1736, King of Poland. Augustus' father had a foundational role in the Meissen porcelain manufactory and his taste for rococo forms established splendid court dining environments. This dainty tureen on four scrolling feet incorporates low relief, chased leaves and undulating curves in the lid and body that characterize the naturalism of the nascent rococo style. The supporting presentation stand with scrolling foliate handles has been modified from its original larger diameter, likely by the maker at a date sometime after manufacture. The tureen and its mate were delivered to the Dresden treasury by 1739, possibly as early as 1733-35. The maker, Paul Ingermann, first qualified as a master goldsmith in Dresden in 1698 and by 1717 he oversaw the city goldsmiths' guild marking process. He served as warden and was elevated to serve as the guild's supervising inspector in 1738-1739. The guild hallmark on this tureen with "13" represents the silver standard equivalent to 81.25% pure, a standard used by many European goldsmiths. This tureen and its mate appear in a photograph of the Dresden court's table silver in about 1904. The mate was acquired by a collector prior to 1938 when it was published within the Falk Simons silver collection and given to a museum in Gothenburg (Goteborg), Sweden. In 1966 the Campbell Museum acquired this Ingermann tureen from Parisian antiques dealer Jacques Kugel, which may account for the French import marks stamped on all three elements. In 1996 the Campbell Museum transferred by gift their significant collection of tureens and soup related items to Winterthur Museum.