Lot number 611 - Auction 150
BERLINER ROKOKO-FUSSBECHER MIT ZWÖLF HANNOVERISCHEN UND BRAUNSCHWEIGISCHEN MÜNZEN

A BERLIN ROCOCO FOOTED SILVER-GILT BEAKER WITH TWELVE HANOVERIAN AND BRUNSWICK COINS Berlin, Gebrüder Müller, circa 1750 Silver, repoussé, engraved, chased, and partially parcel-gilt. Height: 8.9 cm; Weight: 124 g. Struck on the underside with the Berlin hallmark (bear with date letter 'A') and the maker's mark 'MULLERS'. With tremolier line. The bell-shaped body on a circular foot is adorned with twelve coins from the Electorate of Hanover and Brunswick, minted between 1688 and 1728, each set within ornate rocaille cartouches. Slight dent. Among the best-known works of the brothers Johann Bernhard and Martin Friedrich Müller, active in Berlin during the mid-18th century, are their richly decorated coin beakers. These distinctive silver vessels combine exquisite craftsmanship with a unique form of symbolic decoration. The beakers typically feature smooth or repoussé walls into which carefully selected contemporary or earlier coins were embedded. These were deliberately placed not only for visual effect but also to communicate aspects of the owner's origin, political allegiance, or social status. Commonly used were Reichstalers or thalers bearing portraits of significant rulers. The Müller brothers are considered leading exponents of this genre in Berlin's Rococo silversmithing tradition. Their work is distinguished by stylistic clarity, technical precision, and a strong sense of proportion and ornamentation. The fusion of silversmithing and numismatics in these beakers makes them highly sought-after collector's items as well as historical artifacts reflecting the interplay of art, wealth, and representation in the 18th century. Literature: Wolfgang Scheffler: Berliner Goldschmiede, Berlin 1968, no. 139.