Christoph Ertel had established himself as a goldsmith in the Saxon town of Zittau. At Easter 1705, he exhibited a number of gold and silver pieces at the Leipzig Fair. You see three of those items in this glass-case. August the Strong was impressed by Ertel’s work, and bought five pieces for his collection. That brought Ertel to the attention of clients beyond the borders of Saxony. The Prince Bishop of Breslau invited him to become court jeweller.
The figure you see here, reclining on a gilded pedestal under a canopy with four blue columns, is the Roman goddess of love – Venus. Her skin is white enamel, and the heart she is holding in her left hand is a ruby. That’s her mischievous son Cupid standing behind her. There are two other versions of this reclining Venus.
Next, we see Cupid below a glass column. He is a prisoner, and his hands are chained together. The gold chain is fastened onto a ring on the column, which is crowned with a large carnelian.
Finally, we see Bacchus, the Roman god of wine. He is not as finely worked as the other two figures. Typically, he is holding a goblet, wearing a wreath of vine-leaves, and sitting on a wine barrel. The barrel is made of agate, the rings are gilded. It crowns a jewellery box.
Die Details entdecken
Little Bacchus on a barrel
Bound Cupid on a blue glass column
Venus reclining
Venus reclining
