A VERY RARE PARCEL GILT SILVER EQUESTRIAN STATUETTE OF GUSTAV II ADOLF OF SWEDEN (1594 - 1632)

Description:

German, early 17th century
8 x 6,5 x 3 cm
Silver, partially gilded, the rider in an upright position in armour on a striding horse. In his left hand he holds the reins, in his right a sceptre. The armour and part of the horse harness are gilded, while the horse, the rider's hands and head remain in silver. The head originally had a screw mechanism, now fixed. On the profiled ebony base from the period, there is a finely engraved silver plaque mounted with screws. This shows a view of the city of Vienna with its name. No marks. Sword and sceptre replaced, slightly rubbed, wooden base with minor damage. H. 8 cm, with base 12 cm, total weight incl. base ca. 169g.
From a European private collection, acquired prior to 2008
Not many examples of equestrian statuettes of similar size are known to exist. In 2021, an equestrian statuette of Emperor Ferdinand III of Austria from the Bernard de Leye collection was auctioned at Lempertz in Cologne. Further examples can be found in the treasure chamber at Castle Eltz and in the Grünes Gewölbe in Dresden as well as a stature of Archduke Leopold V at the KHM in Vienna. All vary slightly in size, all horses have finely chiselled manes, and their armour and bridles are gilded. The horse in the statuette in the Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum in Braunschweig is also enamelled. All horses are walking, except for one in Kassel, which shows a rearing horse and bears the hallmarks of the Nuremberg goldsmith Hans I Clauß. Most of the statuettes bear the head of Emperor Ferdinand II. The heads of the other statuettes also feature screw mechanisms that allow the respective ruler's head to be replaced.
Lit. KHM Vienna Online, Inv. Kunstkammer 968 and Catalogue KHM Vienna Spielwelten der Kunst - Kunstkammerspiele, Vienna 1998, fig. 2.42; Schütte, Rudolf-A., Die Kostbarkeiten der Renaissance und des Barock ‘Pretiosa’ und ‘allerley Kunstsachen’ aus den Kunst- und Raritätensammlungen der Herzöge von Braunschweig-Lüneburg (...), Braunschweig 1997, p. 35, No. 8.