Westphalian State Cup
The Westphalian Estates Cup, Arnsberg Estates Cup or Arnsberg Willkomm has Elector of Bavaria Maximilian Heinrich in 1667 in his capacity as Duke of Westphalia the Westphalian Estates paid. The cup was used on numerous festive occasions in the duchy as well as on imperial coronations.
Donation
The donation took place on the occasion of the state parliament of 1667. A direct connection with the approval of 15,000 Reichstalers there is unlikely, as the contract for the production of the trophy was awarded months earlier.
This may have been preceded by an unknown gift of homage from the estates to the prince, which the prince returned in accordance with the customs of the time with the estates cup. The deed of foundation was made out on January 22nd, 1667 at the Arnsberg Castle .
description
The cup is 71.5 cm high. The diameter is 25 cm at the top and 24.8 cm at the bottom. It is made of gold-plated silver, crystal glass and glass rivers.
The base of the disc is slightly arched and covered with a winding band. There are framed colored glass rivers. Above that is a fluted acanthus leaf base .
A large double-headed eagle as a symbol of the Holy Roman Empire follows above the base area . Its crossed necks are unusual. He is holding the imperial orb in one of the claws . Contrary to the heraldic norm, the eagle holds the imperial orb in its right muzzle and a scepter is missing .
There is a crown above the eagle. This is very stylized and, in its current form, is probably the result of a later exchange of the cup bowl in 1708. A glass hemispherical bowl with strong bulging ribs rises above it under a wreath of leaves. Blossom branches, insects and the coat of arms of the Electorate of Cologne are flanked by lions, cut or ground . The mouth of the cup is bordered with a hoop of hanging acanthus leaves. The bowl is not original, but was probably made in 1708 after damage.
There is also a hemispherical cap on the bowl. This served as a cup bowl until 1708 and was later reworked into a lid. The plants ground in there are significantly stronger than those of the bowl. The Elector's personal coat of arms is upside down. There is also a hunter with his dog. The mouth is set with a laurel wreath. In this colored stones are attached.
The lid is crowned with a portrait of a rearing Westphalian horse .
The stone jewelry originally consisted of 69 stones made of glass flow. In the text of the award document it says “outside of strange art and own invention.” From this it is concluded that the elector, who was interested in alchemy and was a master at the art of stone cutting, made and cut the stones himself.
symbolism
The cup follows a symbolic concept and reflects the role of the Duchy of Westphalia in the Holy Roman Empire. The base with the double-headed eagle represents the empire itself. The focus is on the Electorate of Cologne with the glass bowls and the electoral coat of arms. The Westphalia horse rises above it as a symbol of the Duchy of Westphalia. The bead on the lid with the laurel wreath represents fame. The oak leaves for power and strength. The blue stones symbolize holiness, truth, power to avert evil and divine virtues. The red and orange stones on the chest of the imperial eagle and the horse stand for royalty, dignity and power. The green stones symbolize purity, chastity, immortality, hope and faith.
Artist
The origin of the piece is unclear. There are no labels for the workshop. For some time it was assumed that they were of Augsburg origin. But this seems unlikely for a number of reasons. The settings for the stones are too simple for Augsburg. Augsburg workshops also used thinner-walled glass.
It is possible that the trophy was put together from various already existing individual parts. The goldsmiths came from southern Germany or from Cologne . Apparently the foot and shaft come from a single source. It is not clear whether the glass works are also of older origin. But the crowning horse was an independent small sculpture that was reworked into a Westphalian horse for the trophy. The stylistic closeness to contemporary liturgical implements such as monstrances can, in addition to the person of the client, also have to do with the fact that the workshop mainly made sacred objects. It could have been that of the Cologne master Christian Schweling the Elder, but other workshops are also possible.
storage
Originally the piece was kept in the archive of the Arnsberg Castle. After the tower that served as an archive was demolished, it was kept in the castle itself. After the death of Clemens August I of Bavaria , the trophy was found in the elector's cloakroom as a representative "treasure trove" in 1761. The trophy survived the destruction and looting of the castle a year later in an unknown way. It was then kept in the archive tower of the Arnsberg town hall , which also served as the conference building for the estates.
use
There are hardly any contemporary statements about its exact use. According to a Hessian official from 1808, the cup seems to have been used during the times of the duchy on the occasion of the state parliaments, tributes and other festive occasions such as the banquet tables of the estates and electors to " publicly promote the health of 'Vivat Dux et Ducatus' “To apply. The name “Welcome”, which was already common in the 18th century, suggests that it was also used to receive and pay homage to the sovereign upon his arrival in the duchy. It may also have been used to greet newly sworn knights.
In 1764 Maximilian Friedrich von Königsegg took the cup with him to Frankfurt for the coronation of Emperor Joseph II . The trophy was probably shown at the coronation meal. The same was the case in 1790 under Maximilian Franz of Austria at the coronation of Leopold II . The state estates have given their approval for this. The cup was used for the last time on the occasion of the last state parliament convened by Ludwig von Hessen in 1803.
Further whereabouts
After the Duchy of Westphalia passed to Hessen-Darmstadt , Ludwig I , who was a passionate collector of "antiquities", arranged for the trophy to be transferred to Darmstadt in 1808 . His collection, but also the Darmstädter Hof as a whole, had comparatively few high-quality silver works. Therefore Ludwig was very interested in acquiring the piece. The cup eventually formed a center of the princely collection of baroque silver work.
After the Duchy of Westphalia passed to Prussia , there were numerous unsuccessful attempts by the Prussian side to get some valuable items back from Hessen-Darmstadt. Similar efforts were unsuccessful in the 20th century. The Willkomm was on loan for the first time in Arnsberg in 1977 on the occasion of an exhibition on goldsmithing in the Sauerland region of Cologne. A true-to-original replica was made in 1996. Since the Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt , where the trophy is normally kept, is being renovated, it has been on loan for several years in the Sauerlandmuseum in Arnsberg since 2009 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Heller, p. 9.
- ↑ Reissland, p. 11f.
- ↑ a b Reissland p. 20.
- ↑ a b Heller, p. 7
- ↑ Reißland p 26, p 51 Gosmann
- ↑ Reissland p. 28.
- ↑ Heller, p. 8.
- ↑ Reissland, p. 27f.
- ↑ Gosmann p. 52.
- ↑ Gosmann p. 53.
- ↑ Reißland S. 11f, p. 17, Gosmann, p.57.
- ↑ On this in detail Gosmann pp. 61–69
- ↑ Theo Hirnstein: "Hessens booty returns" In: Westfalenpost from April 24, 2009
literature
- Michael Gosmann (Hrsg.): The Arnsberger Landstandsepokal from 1667. A foundation of the Cologne Elector Maximilian Heinrich of Bavaria for the Duchy of Westphalia . Heimatbund, Arnsberg, 1997, ISBN 3-930264-14-5 , ( urban history series of publications on the city of Arnsberg 23).
In this:
- Carl Benno Heller: The Arnsberg State Estate Cup in the Hessian State Museum Darmstadt . Pp. 7-10.
- Ingrid Reissland: "A certain silver-indebted drinkware ... graciously honored ..." On the iconography of the Arnsberg State Cup . Pp. 11-32.
- Michael Gosmann: On the history of the "welcome" of the estates of the Duchy of Westphalia . Pp. 47-78.