An Investigation into the Origins of a Renaissance Beaker
For over 80 years, the MAKK's extensive collections have included a remarkable piece of artistic significance: a 14.5 cm beaker with a lid.
Made in Nuremberg at the end of the 16th century, the beaker is crafted from hammered, partly engraved and partly cast silver, which has been fire-gilded. Of particular note are the colourful depictions of the seven planetary gods on the dome, framed circumferentially and set behind very pure rock crystal using the amelation technique, i.e. reverse glass painting. Following extensive analysis of paint and metal microsamples, carried out in collaboration with the Institute for Conservation and Restoration Science at Cologne Technical University, precise knowledge of the original and subsequent modifications is now available [1].
Further research into the history of the object's provenance was recently conducted when attention was drawn to conspicuous entries in the inventory book relating to its acquisition in 1938. Initially listed as a purchase, the beaker was subsequently recorded as a gift from the Lucerne art dealer Theodor Fischer (1878–1957), with a value of RM 15,000. On a separate list of loans, the value is given as RM 16,000. Fischer is regarded as one of the central figures in the trade of Nazi-looted art in Switzerland [2]. Research into the beaker's provenance revealed an unusual and complex story.
The acquisition of the beaker occurred at a time when the city of Cologne was striving to establish a national and international reputation for its museums. In December 1937, the city appointed the experienced art historian Dr Adolf Feulner (1884–1945) as general director of the decorative arts collections at the Kunstwerbemuseum, the Museum Schnütgen, and the Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst. Feulner subsequently attempted to enhance the collections through targeted acquisitions, but initially lacked the necessary financial resources [3].
The magnificent Renaissance beaker was intended for this purpose and was brought to the Kunstgewerbemuseum on 15 February 1938 by the Munich art dealers Julius Böhler and Theodor Fischer for inspection and possible purchase. However, in view of the high price, the financial viability of the purchase was probably in doubt [4]. This was soon to prove irrelevant when the object became part of a politically motivated barter deal.
This deal originated from the Nazi authorities' efforts in Cologne to win over the influential Prussian Minister President, Hermann Göring (1893–1946), with valuable gifts. In early summer 1938, Cologne presented Göring with the painting 'Mary with the Child' by Lucas Cranach the Elder (WRM Inv. No. 3207) to celebrate the birth and christening of his daughter Edda on 2 June 1938. The painting was purchased for 000 RM from Theodor Fischer and financed from the representative fund of Lord Mayor Dr Karl Georg Schmidt (1904–1940) [5], but the required payment of 4,000 pounds could not be made due to the lack of a foreign exchange permit. As the painting had already been given to Göring as a gift, a solution had to be found that would cause as little fuss as possible. In July 1938, the city of Cologne offered the Swiss art dealer the opportunity to select paintings of equal value from the Wallraf-Richartz Museum (WRM) instead of paying in cash. Initially, he chose the painting Sacra Conversazione by Benozzo Gozzoli (formerly WRM Inv. No. 0500), but an export licence could not be obtained for the work, which was considered an important cultural asset. The next choice was “Rider on the Beach” by Paul Gauguin (formerly WRM Inv. No. 1202), but this painting had already been confiscated as 'degenerate' and sold [6]. Fischer then complained to Feulner and threatened to call in Hermann Göring if the Lord Mayor of Cologne did not comply [7]. An agreement was finally reached in August 1938 whereby Fischer would hand over the painting 'Portrait of Armand Roulin' by Vincent van Gogh in exchange for works of art worth 1,600 pounds [8]. On 1 March 1940, the painting 'Interior of a Church' by Emanuel de Witte (inv. no. 2620) [9] came to the WRM from the possession of the Amsterdam art dealer Paul de Boer for 1,600 pounds. Finally, the cup, worth 16,000 RM, came to the Kunstgewerbemuseum for good.
However, this is not the end of the story of this complex exchange. The Cranach painting, which had brought the Häufebecher to the Kunstgewerbemuseum, was moved to Bavaria by Göring at the end of the Second World War, along with much of his art collection. It arrived at the Central Collecting Point in Munich via Berchtesgaden on 1 August 1945. On 20 April 1949, the American military government placed the painting in the trusteeship of the Bavarian Minister President, Hans Ehard (1887–1980). That same year, the City of Cologne brought a damages claim against the art dealer Theodor Fischer before the Cologne Regional Court, based on threats under Section 123 of the German Civil Code (BGB). This claim was ultimately dismissed. Further lawsuits followed to establish the ownership of the Cranach painting. More than 20 years later, the Supreme Court classified the City of Cologne's gift to Hermann Göring as excessive and immoral. On 23 July 1968, the painting by Lucas Cranach was finally returned to the WRM in the immediate vicinity of the Renaissance chalice [10].
(Authorship: Marcus Leifeld, Britta Olényi von Husen, Karl Tobias Friedrich, Nuray Amrhein)
[1] Karl Tobias Friedrich, Stephanie Dietz, Nuray Amrhein, Ein Deckelgefäß mit Darstellungen der Planetengötter im Museum für Angewandte Kunst Köln. An example of universal Renaissance art technology?, in: Theresa Wittig, Ulrike Weinhold (eds.), Farbfassungen der Renaissance. Dresden State Art Collections, Dresden 2020.
[2] MAKK, house archive, inv. no. G 1073.
[3] Westdeutscher Beobachter of March 8, 1938, Morgen-Ausg. Cf. on Feulner: Sebastian Farnung, Kulturpolitik im Dritten Reich am Beispiel Frankfurter Museen (Studien zur Frankfurter Geschichte; Bd. 63), Frankfurt am Main 2016, pp. 103-105.
[4] MAKK, house archive, folder “Zugangsblätter”, LG 103; cf. also: Otto v. Falke, Aus dem Jamnitzerkreis, in: Pantheon, vol. XIX, January-June 1937, p. 60.
[5] Cf. also the following: Thomas Buomberger, Raubkunst- Kunstraub. Die Schweiz und der Handel mit gestohlenen Kulturgütern zur Zeit des Zweiten Weltkrieges, Zurich 1998, pp. 52-55.
[6] https://www.kulturelles-erbe-koeln.de/documents/obj/05017046.
[7] Cf. Buomberger, Raubkunst- Kunstraub (see note 5), pp. 52-55.
[8] Today, Van Gogh's painting is in the Boymans-van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam. https://www.kulturelles-erbe-koeln.de/documents/obj/05023512.
[9] https://www.kulturelles-erbe-koeln.de/documents/obj/05011543. In return for the painting by De Witte, however, the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum had to sell the portraits “St. John the Evangelist” by Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia (formerly WRM inv. no. 727), “Christ on the Cross with Mary and John”, Tuscany around 1400 (?) (formerly WRM inv. no. 746) and “Calvary/Crucifixion of Christ” by Jakob Cornelisz (formerly WRM inv. no. 476) to the art dealer de Boer. WRM, archive, inventory book inv. no. 2620; https://www.kulturelles-erbe-koeln.de/documents/obj/05090154; https://www.kulturelles-erbe-koeln.de/documents/obj/05023753; https://www.kulturelles-erbe-koeln.de/documents/obj/05018655.
[10] Nancy H. Yeide, Beyond the Dreams of Avarice. The Hermann Goering Collection, Dallas 2009, NR. A65, p. 240, ill. p. 38; Anna Maria Sigmund, Die Frauen der Nazis, Munich 2001, p. 100f.; WRM, archive, picture file WRM inv. no. 3207.