Early "Kauffahrtei" Tankard by Johann Gregorius Höroldt
Height: 13.4 cm without lid, 16.8 cm with lid / Without crossed swords mark / Silver-gilt mount / Böttger porcelain / Meissen, 1723
Provenance: Swiss private collection / Christie's Geneva, 20.04.1970, No. 138 / Christie's, 30.11.1959, No. 72
This cylindrical tankard features a profiled foot and a polished lip rim. On the front, a large cartouche with a gilt border is flanked by Böttger-luster panels and strapwork in two shades of iron-red. The upper rim is adorned with a gold border and gold-pointed edging. The handle is decorated with Indian flowers on the reverse, while the back of the tankard features flying birds, insects, and a phoenix.
The silver-gilt lid is mounted with a 1763 Conventionsthaler bearing the inscription "D:G.FRID:CHRIST:PR:POL:&L.DUXSAX:". This coin was struck during the short reign of Friedrich Christian as Elector of Saxony. The obverse depicts an armored bust of Friedrich Christian facing right, while the reverse displays a crowned coat of arms with the year 1763 at the end of the legend. The coin was minted in Leipzig and Dresden.
The inscription translates to "By the Grace of God, Friedrich Christian, Prince of Poland and Lithuania, Duke of Saxony". Friedrich Christian (1722–1763) was the son of Friedrich August II, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony. Although he never became King of Poland himself, he held the title Prince of Poland and Lithuania.
Please note the following information: The lid is later - not 18th Century
Our tankard belongs to a series of early Meissen cylindrical tankards, all of which predate the application of the crossed swords mark and can be reliably dated to the year 1723. These pieces are characterized by a large cartouche on the front, depicting large sailing ships docked at the quay, surrounded by the bustling activity of merchants and sailors.
The densely clouded sky, painted in shades of blue and reddish-yellow, is typical of this period. More than twenty figures animate the scene, while four additional ships are anchored behind the large sailing vessel at the quay. The trade goods include numerous barrels, various packages, a spare anchor, and two ship cannons with ready-to-fire cannonballs.
Particularly noteworthy is that the painting style is identical across all comparable tankards—a style that Johann Gregorius Höroldt had already mastered before developing his signature chinoiserie designs.
At this early stage, Höroldt’s later leading painters, such as Heintze and Stadler, were not yet active, making Höroldt himself the only plausible artist for this piece.
Pietsch attributes a similarly painted cup and saucer from the Carabelli Collection (No. 21) to Johann Georg Heintze, dating it to 1723/24. However, the painting on that piece is noticeably simpler, as is the overall composition of the scene. This clear stylistic difference strongly suggests that our tankard is a work by Höroldt himself, rather than by his first apprentice, Heintze, who was only officially recognized as a master in 1725 (Rückert, p. 155).
Comparable Pieces
- Bonhams, 09.12.2021, No. 143 = Röbbig Masterpieces 2014 = Metz, 08.10.2022, No. 37
- Arnhold Collection, Cat. No. 170 = Christie's, 02.11.1998, No. 293
- Arnhold Collection, Cat. No. 171 (with porcelain lid) = Ex. Coll. H. Joseph
- Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris = Exhibition catalog, Dijon 2001, Musée des Beaux-Arts Dijon, No. 16
- Sotheby’s Milan, The Questa Collection, 21.03.2005, No. 198 = Ex. Langeloh = Private collection
- Hugo Morley-Fletcher, p. 28 (with porcelain lid)
