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Lot Essay
Incorporating both high renaissance and baroque styles, Sebastian Hann is considered one of the most important Transylvanian goldsmiths of the baroque period. Hann was trained in Sibiu, where he joined the guild and eventually became the guild master. Approximately one-hundred works have been attributed to Hann, the earliest dating to around 1675. Hann’s works are recognized for their complex compositions and inclusion of historical and mythological themes, many based on the engravings of Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) and Matthaeus Merian (1593-1650). The success of Hann’s dense figural compositions is a result of the perspective he is able to achieve through detailed texturing and chasing. This tankard epitomizes Hann’s mastery of these techniques.
FRANCK VON FRANCKENSTEIN AND THE COMISSION
The present tankard and a second tankard, in the collection of the Hungarian Fine Art Museum, were commissioned by Franck von Franckenstein (1643-1697), as a gift for his grandson, shortly before Franckenstein’s death in 1697. Franckenstien was a Saxon count and a political figure in Sibiu. Remembered for his passion for the arts, Franckenstein wrote poetry, studied historiography, and was one of Hann’s greatest patrons. A pair of 1691 altar candlesticks (historically referenced as the ‘Franckenstein candlesticks’) are in the collection of the Brukenthal Museum in Sibiu. A painted alabaster portrait sculpture of Franckenstein was found at a building site in Sibiu in the late 19th century and is now in the collection of the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest. An engraved portrait of him is in the collection of Austrian National Library.
The commission of the two tankards from Hann was a massive expense, estimated to be nearly one-third of Franckenstein’s total wealth (see V. Guy Marcia, "Canile Istoriate Ale Argintarului Sebastian Hann", Acta Musei Napocensis, 1965, p. 386). Given the tremendous importance of the commission and the timing in relation to Franckenstein’s death, it is possible the gift was intended as a plea for care in his final months. More likely however, the commission and subsequent gift, was meant as a token of appreciation for the kind attention bestowed on an elderly grandfather by a devoted grandson.
THE ICONOGRAPHY OF THE TANKARD
Richly chased and engraved, the four scenes depicted on the Franckenstein tankard explore complex familial dynamics and generational relationships including loyalty, sacrifice, honor and legacy. The depiction of Aeneas carrying his father on his back through the burning streets of Troy serves as a moving representation of familial loyalty. The model of moral duty, Aeneas places the welfare of his father ahead of that of his wife and child, who trail nearby. By refusing to abandon his father, Aeneas risks sacrificing the survival of his own family. Similarly, the scene of Cimon and Pero concealed under the tankard’s cover may serve as a more intimate reference to paternal altruism. Found on painted frescos excavated from Pompeii, the story of Pero secretly nursing her dying and imprisoned father at her own breast, represents the idea of charitable humility; the ultimate means by which one can honor a parent. While renaissance painters hesitantly experimented with the story of Cimon and Pero, it became a more widely accepted motif after it was explored and made presentable by Caravaggio. The composition of the scene depicted on the present lot is most similar to that of Rubens’ work circa 1630 at the Siegerlandmuseum, Sigegen.
The theme of sacrifice and humility are again explored in the panel depicting Hercules defeating the lion Nemea. The first of King Eurystheus’ twelve labors issued to Hercules was to defeat the immense lion responsible for the massacre of local villages. As the Nemean lion’s pelt could not be penetrated by arrows, Hercules had no other choice than to attack the beast with his bare hands. Hercules’ defeat of the Nemean lion is emblematic of the resourcefulness and strength one must summon when challenged with an onerous situation for which he is not properly prepared. Further, the lion’s death serves as a reminder that even the most powerful are not invincible and the value of remaining humble.
Legacy, represented more emphatically through the concept of immortality, is a theme that underlies and connects the scenic motifs depicted on the Franckenstein tankard. As previously discussed, the first of Hercules’ twelve seemingly impossible labors was to defeat the lion of Nemea; the labors having been issued to Hercules as a penance for the accidental murder of his family. Hercules’ virtuous struggles throughout his labors embody the essence of pathos, and through his sacrifices and suffering he is eventually rewarded with fame and thus immortality.
The panel depicting Tullia driving her chariot over the body of her fallen father King Servius serves as a more poignant reference to the idea of familial legacy. Similar to Hercules, Aeneas and Pero, Tullia is the instigator and driver or her family’s future. Whereas other scenes depict the preservation of the family elder, the story of Tullia illustrates a change of power within the family structure. With the death of the long-ruling Servius, a new generation assumes control. Tullia and her husband were able to successfully overthrow a much-respected ruler, and thereby absorbing his power and influence. Thus, the legend of Tullia in her chariot illustrates how legacy can be realized through the act of inheritance.
HANN’S LEGACY
The last and most explicit reference to legacy can be found in the engraved inscription found on the underside of the tankard: So offt mit kühlem Wein die Kanne man wird heben, soll Herr Sebastian in lieb und lobe leben, 1697 (As often as the jug is lifted with cool wine, Sir Sebastian shall live in love and praise, 1697). This inscription is a rare instance of a goldsmith commemorating himself within a work through a means far more significant and far less discreet than his stamped maker’s mark. As Sebastian Hann had hoped in 1697, we find ourselves remembering and appreciating the man responsible for the exquisite making of this vessel and the joy its contents bring to those imbibing from it. Hann ensured numerous generations have enjoyed great pleasure in admiring his ingenuity and workmanship over three centuries, thus achieving immortality.
FRANCK VON FRANCKENSTEIN AND THE COMISSION
The present tankard and a second tankard, in the collection of the Hungarian Fine Art Museum, were commissioned by Franck von Franckenstein (1643-1697), as a gift for his grandson, shortly before Franckenstein’s death in 1697. Franckenstien was a Saxon count and a political figure in Sibiu. Remembered for his passion for the arts, Franckenstein wrote poetry, studied historiography, and was one of Hann’s greatest patrons. A pair of 1691 altar candlesticks (historically referenced as the ‘Franckenstein candlesticks’) are in the collection of the Brukenthal Museum in Sibiu. A painted alabaster portrait sculpture of Franckenstein was found at a building site in Sibiu in the late 19th century and is now in the collection of the Hungarian National Gallery in Budapest. An engraved portrait of him is in the collection of Austrian National Library.
The commission of the two tankards from Hann was a massive expense, estimated to be nearly one-third of Franckenstein’s total wealth (see V. Guy Marcia, "Canile Istoriate Ale Argintarului Sebastian Hann", Acta Musei Napocensis, 1965, p. 386). Given the tremendous importance of the commission and the timing in relation to Franckenstein’s death, it is possible the gift was intended as a plea for care in his final months. More likely however, the commission and subsequent gift, was meant as a token of appreciation for the kind attention bestowed on an elderly grandfather by a devoted grandson.
THE ICONOGRAPHY OF THE TANKARD
Richly chased and engraved, the four scenes depicted on the Franckenstein tankard explore complex familial dynamics and generational relationships including loyalty, sacrifice, honor and legacy. The depiction of Aeneas carrying his father on his back through the burning streets of Troy serves as a moving representation of familial loyalty. The model of moral duty, Aeneas places the welfare of his father ahead of that of his wife and child, who trail nearby. By refusing to abandon his father, Aeneas risks sacrificing the survival of his own family. Similarly, the scene of Cimon and Pero concealed under the tankard’s cover may serve as a more intimate reference to paternal altruism. Found on painted frescos excavated from Pompeii, the story of Pero secretly nursing her dying and imprisoned father at her own breast, represents the idea of charitable humility; the ultimate means by which one can honor a parent. While renaissance painters hesitantly experimented with the story of Cimon and Pero, it became a more widely accepted motif after it was explored and made presentable by Caravaggio. The composition of the scene depicted on the present lot is most similar to that of Rubens’ work circa 1630 at the Siegerlandmuseum, Sigegen.
The theme of sacrifice and humility are again explored in the panel depicting Hercules defeating the lion Nemea. The first of King Eurystheus’ twelve labors issued to Hercules was to defeat the immense lion responsible for the massacre of local villages. As the Nemean lion’s pelt could not be penetrated by arrows, Hercules had no other choice than to attack the beast with his bare hands. Hercules’ defeat of the Nemean lion is emblematic of the resourcefulness and strength one must summon when challenged with an onerous situation for which he is not properly prepared. Further, the lion’s death serves as a reminder that even the most powerful are not invincible and the value of remaining humble.
Legacy, represented more emphatically through the concept of immortality, is a theme that underlies and connects the scenic motifs depicted on the Franckenstein tankard. As previously discussed, the first of Hercules’ twelve seemingly impossible labors was to defeat the lion of Nemea; the labors having been issued to Hercules as a penance for the accidental murder of his family. Hercules’ virtuous struggles throughout his labors embody the essence of pathos, and through his sacrifices and suffering he is eventually rewarded with fame and thus immortality.
The panel depicting Tullia driving her chariot over the body of her fallen father King Servius serves as a more poignant reference to the idea of familial legacy. Similar to Hercules, Aeneas and Pero, Tullia is the instigator and driver or her family’s future. Whereas other scenes depict the preservation of the family elder, the story of Tullia illustrates a change of power within the family structure. With the death of the long-ruling Servius, a new generation assumes control. Tullia and her husband were able to successfully overthrow a much-respected ruler, and thereby absorbing his power and influence. Thus, the legend of Tullia in her chariot illustrates how legacy can be realized through the act of inheritance.
HANN’S LEGACY
The last and most explicit reference to legacy can be found in the engraved inscription found on the underside of the tankard: So offt mit kühlem Wein die Kanne man wird heben, soll Herr Sebastian in lieb und lobe leben, 1697 (As often as the jug is lifted with cool wine, Sir Sebastian shall live in love and praise, 1697). This inscription is a rare instance of a goldsmith commemorating himself within a work through a means far more significant and far less discreet than his stamped maker’s mark. As Sebastian Hann had hoped in 1697, we find ourselves remembering and appreciating the man responsible for the exquisite making of this vessel and the joy its contents bring to those imbibing from it. Hann ensured numerous generations have enjoyed great pleasure in admiring his ingenuity and workmanship over three centuries, thus achieving immortality.