About the Artwork
The highly refined craftsmanship and combination of materials links this casket to Gottfried Wolffram, who is believed to have trained in Danzig, a center for amber (fossilized resin) and ivory carving. In 1690, King Christian V of Denmark purchased a casket made of amber with ivory inlays for his wife from Wolffram; it is not certain that this is the same casket, but the design and the handling of these sumptuous materials represent a level of artistry that would make a suitable gift for a queen. Backed with golden foil, the oval and angular plaques of amber feature a full spectrum of sunset colors; they are secured on a wooden armature that displays their translucence, and the original red velvet lining heightens the golden glow. Set with five ivory relief panels engraved with idyllic landscapes and fitted with open-work, mercury-gilt hinges, this exquisite small chest for treasured objects is a treasure in itself. From Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts 89 (2015)
Courtly Amber Casket
ca. 1695
Gottfried Wolffram
before 1683-1716
Danish
Unknown
Amber, ivory, wood, glass, brass, and velvet
Overall: 4 3/4 × 11 7/8 × 7 7/8 inches (12.1 × 30.2 × 20 cm)
Glyptic Art
European Sculpture and Dec Arts
Museum Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund
2009.41
This work is in the public domain.
Markings
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Provenance
since before 1900, private collection (Baden-Württemberg, Germany)
(Werner Schubert Antiquitäten, Würzburg, Germany)
(Kunsthandel Albrecht Neuhaus, Würzburg, Germany)
(Georg Laue, Munich, Germany)
2009-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
For more information on provenance and its important function in the museum, please visit:
Provenance pageExhibition History
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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.
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Suggest FeedbackPublished References
Darr, A. "Discoveries: A Courtly Seventeenth-Century Amber and Ivory Casket," The Magazine Antiques 176, No. 6 (December 2009): pp. 28-33.
Darr, Alan Phipps, Yao-Fen You, and Megan Reddicks. “Recent Acquisitions (2007–15) of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at the Detroit Institute of Arts.” The Burlington Magazine 158 (June 2016): 501–512, p. 506 (ill.).
Bulletin of the DIA: Notable Acquisitions, 2000–2015 89, no. 1/4 (2015): p. 58–59 (ill.).
Kugel, Alexis and Rahul Kulka. Amber: Treasures from the Baltic Sea, 16th–18th Centuries. Exh. cat., Galerie Kugel. Paris, 2023, p. 66 (ill.).
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Credit Line for Reproduction
attributed to Gottfried Wolffram, Courtly Amber Casket, ca. 1695, amber, ivory, wood, glass, brass, and velvet. Detroit Institute of Arts, Museum Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund, 2009.41.
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