Gold, Jasper, and Carnelian:
Johann Christian Neuber at the Saxon Court
May 30 through August 19, 2012
Late Examples of Steinkabinettabatiere | Next >>
In 1786 Johann Christian Neuber placed the following
advertisement in the Journal des Luxus und der Moden of Leipzig, an influential monthly magazine that reported
trends in German cultural life: "An older invention of this
clever artist, still largely unknown, is a kind of snuffbox
made of gold and all kinds of precious stones from Saxony,
known as Steinkabinettabatiere [stone cabinet snuffbox].
The stones are numbered and none appears twice, while a
small booklet that accompanies the box provides their scientific
names. Thus, luxury, taste, and science are brought
together in this fashionable object of jewelry, which makes
it desirable for every wealthy collector."
In the late 1780s and 1790s Steinkabinettabatieres held
samples of stone cut in straight lines, instead of in the
shape of a flower petal, more common a decade earlier.
Two original booklets are presented in the exhibition, in the Garden Court.
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Snuffbox made of 86 samples of Saxon gemstones
Attributed to Johann Christian Neuber
Dresden, c. 1785–90
Gold, agate, jasper, carnelian, petrified wood, and lapis lazuli
Private collection
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Snuffbox made of 57 samples of Saxon gemstones with a cameo of Peter the Great
Dresden, c. 1790–95
Gold, agate, jasper, and agate cameo
Private collection |
The exhibition is co-organized by the Grünes Gewölbe of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Galerie J. Kugel, Paris, and The Frick Collection. Support for the presentation in New York is generously provided by Walter and Vera Eberstadt, Aso O. Tavitian, Margot and Jerry Bogert, and an anonymous donor. |
