Tureen

The 18th century was an era when the tables of rulers and aristocrats were dominated by tableware sets comprising hundreds, and sometimes even thousands, of pieces. Particularly prized were sets made of gold, silver, and porcelain, the technology for which was discovered in Europe only at the beginning of the century. These magnificently decorated sets primarily served a representational function and were used to host the most distinguished guests. Porcelain figurines were often placed among the dishes on the table, arranged to create various scenes to entertain the guests.

Among the most impressive tableware items were tureens – lidded vessels used to serve meat-and-vegetable dishes or soups, such as the one from the Szczecin collection. This tureen stands out for its undulating, organic shape and intricate decoration of grapevine branches entwining the body and lid. The goldsmith’s mastery is evident in the quality of the embossing and the smooth transitions from shallow relief to fully three-dimensional branches, which form the handles on the body and the finial on the lid.

The creator of this piece, Johann Jacob Sandrart II (1733–1798), was one of the most renowned Berlin goldsmiths of the second half of the 18th century. His use of the naturalistic grapevine motif likely references the decoration of a silver service created around 1747 by Christian Lieberkühn the Younger (1709–1769), a court goldsmith in Berlin, for King Frederick II of Prussia (1712–1786). A distinctive feature of the royal service was the handles, crafted as meticulously detailed vine shoots.

Monika Frankowska-Makała