A late 17th century parcel-gilt silver filigree casket with painted enamel medallion and gemstones, Nothern Europe.

Unique filigree casket from the 17th century – an art historical masterpiece with an international touch

The auction's outstanding casket is a rare and complex work of art that carries a cultural and geographical heritage across several continents. What few people may not think about today is how international the Baroque was, the style spread via colonial countries when objects were specially commissioned in other parts of the world and sent to Europe.
The casket, which bears traces of both oriental and European craftsmanship – is made of silver and from the late 17th century, made in the ancient and exquisite filigree technique. The name of the technique derives from the Latin filum (thread) and granum (grain) and is characterized by intricate patterns in thin metal wire, often joined with small balls and decorative solders.
The panels executed in filigree technique may well have originated in Indonesia – perhaps Java, Sumatra, Jakarta or Goa in India – areas known for their exquisite filigree work during the period, often under Indo-Portuguese or Dutch colonial influence. At the same time, the assembly and certain stylistic features strongly indicate European, probably Swedish, manufacture: the lock plate, the handles and not least the European base plate with its inward-facing motif reminiscent of lids on tankards of the time. The enamel miniature, depicting Spes – the virtuous figure of hope – with an anchor is of a standardized type found on several objects from the time (see the silver ornament at the Nationalmuseum in Sweden, no. NMK CXV 1505).
Comparisons with preserved examples in the collections of, for example, Skokloster castle and the Nationalmuseum, as well as similarities with works by goldsmiths such as Rudolf Wittkopf, Johan Friedrich and Johann Heinrich Straub and Johan Ståhle, strengthen the hypothesis that the casket was assembled in Sweden. Wittkopf's two beakers with lids for King Charles XII of Sweden, now in the collections of the Nationalmuseum, bear several similarities to this casket. The Straub brothers, originally from Nuremberg – the European centre for filigree forging and assembly at the time – were active in Karlstad and Gothenburg in Sweden, and are known for having brought the technique here. It is precisely in this tension between international influence and local anchoring that this casket acquires its unique character.
The casket is adorned with six sparkling rubies, a carnelian, and characteristic diamond-shaped soldering – a style often linked to Swedish tradition. The applied rosettes, the cast figures and the border decoration on the edge of the lid are reminiscent of other Swedish works from the period. The motif of Jupiter with a thunderbolt in his hand carried by an eagle, a common feature in 17th-century German silver, adds further layers of symbolism and continental influences.
This casket lacks marks, which is common for objects of this type. But that is precisely what makes it an exciting and sought-after object – an object to explore, discuss and marvel at.
A magnificent example of 17th century global craftsmanship – where Eastern detail meets the robust elegance of Swedish silver. The box is in unusually well-preserved condition as it has been stored in its original case made of pine and covered with embossed leather.

Bukowskis is very grateful to Susann Silfverstolpe for her valuable comments in connection with the cataloguing of this object.

Text from Emblemata 1608 to the engraving:
The chasing goeth before the taking.
Before the deer bee caught it first must hunted bee,
The Ladie eke pursu’d before shee bee obtaynd,
Payn makes the greater woorth of oughts thats thereby gaynd,
For nothing easly goo wee do esteemed see.