MARK OF SIGMUND BIERFREUND, NUREMBERG, CIRCA 1658

The tulip cup, or Tulpenpokal, was a distinctive form developed in Nuremberg in the mid-17th century. With naturalistic leaves forming the body of the cup itself, instead of the flowers appearing purely as surface decoration, these cups reference the 'tulipomania' of the early 17th century, as investors speculated on the price of tulip bulbs being imported to the Netherlands from Turkey. The price of the flowers soared, reaching a peak in 1637, and concluding with a devastating crash in the market. The Tulpenpokal can almost be viewed ironically then, as the form became popular around thirty years later, with the tulip, especially rendered in silver, still recognized as a symbol of prosperity, while also representing a cautionary tale of wealth poorly spent (Schroder, 2012, p. 152).

Sigmund Bierfreund (1619-1702) was born in East Prussia before moving to Nuremberg and becoming a master in 1654. He was especially known for the production of tulip cups, with thirteen of the thirty-seven known works listed in K. Tebbe, Nürnberger Goldschmiedekunst 1541-1868 (Nuremberg, 2007, no. 68, pp. 60-62) being Tulpenpokal. Nearly identical examples to the present lot can be found in the collections of the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Kremlin State Museums, Moscow, and Germanischen Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg. A number of cups by Bierfreund, including the example in Nuremberg, are decorated with cold enamel on the figural stems as well as the finials, so it is possible that the present lot was similarly decorated.