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Lot Essay
This cup was the winning prize for a Schützenfest [shooting festival] held in 1601 in Stulweissenburg or Székesfehérvár located in central Hungary. The event took place soon after the city had been briefly liberated from the Ottoman Turks by Giulio Cesare Russo (1559-1619, a Roman Catholic priest, who was later canonised as St. Lawrence of Brindisi. Cesare served as the imperial chaplain in the army of Rudolph II, Holy Roman Emperor. It was said he led the army against the Ottoman Turks armed only with a crucifix.
The Franks Bequest at the British Museum includes an almost identical cockerel cup (Museum no. AF.3076), formerly attributed to Leipzig but now thought to be by the Ohlau goldsmith Dawid Metz (fl.1657-1688). It is engraved with an inscription dated 1669, which records the cup as a gift in memory of Andreas Haan Ratmann of Sterberk. The similarity between the names inscribed on the Olmutz cockerel and the proximity of Olmutz and Sterberk suggests a family connection between Andreas Haan [Hahn] Ratmann (Mayor) and Urban Han [Hahn]. There is also possibly a play on the family surname which is the German for cockerel.
Schützenfest or marksmen's festivals were festivals of target shooting where contestants competed based on their shooting abilities. This tradition started in the Middles Ages when towns and villages organised paramilitary clubs and guilds to train their citizens to shoot in order to help defend themselves against marauders and invaders. The Schützenfest was the occasion to test and display their skills. Participants from other parishes as well the feudal heads of state were also invited to participate. These festivals rapidly became very popular, welcoming hundreds of marksmen and visitors. The hosting cities had to build adequate accommodation and facilities, often stimulating the local economy. The most important shooting competition was the vögelschiessen or Bird Shooting where the contestants would shoot a wood bird mounted on a pole; the contestant who dislodged the last pieces of the wooden bird was the new 'King of Marksmen'.
Christie's is grateful to Michał Seredyński and Professor Richter for their assistance in researching this catalogue entry.
The Franks Bequest at the British Museum includes an almost identical cockerel cup (Museum no. AF.3076), formerly attributed to Leipzig but now thought to be by the Ohlau goldsmith Dawid Metz (fl.1657-1688). It is engraved with an inscription dated 1669, which records the cup as a gift in memory of Andreas Haan Ratmann of Sterberk. The similarity between the names inscribed on the Olmutz cockerel and the proximity of Olmutz and Sterberk suggests a family connection between Andreas Haan [Hahn] Ratmann (Mayor) and Urban Han [Hahn]. There is also possibly a play on the family surname which is the German for cockerel.
Schützenfest or marksmen's festivals were festivals of target shooting where contestants competed based on their shooting abilities. This tradition started in the Middles Ages when towns and villages organised paramilitary clubs and guilds to train their citizens to shoot in order to help defend themselves against marauders and invaders. The Schützenfest was the occasion to test and display their skills. Participants from other parishes as well the feudal heads of state were also invited to participate. These festivals rapidly became very popular, welcoming hundreds of marksmen and visitors. The hosting cities had to build adequate accommodation and facilities, often stimulating the local economy. The most important shooting competition was the vögelschiessen or Bird Shooting where the contestants would shoot a wood bird mounted on a pole; the contestant who dislodged the last pieces of the wooden bird was the new 'King of Marksmen'.
Christie's is grateful to Michał Seredyński and Professor Richter for their assistance in researching this catalogue entry.