ATTRIBUTED TO JOHANN JACOB BETZOLDT (1621-1707), GERMAN, SECOND HALF 17TH CENTURY

It has been suggested by Dr. J. Hein of the Royal Danish Art Collections that the present seventeenth-century tankard was re-mounted in order to be given as gift on the occasion of the silver wedding anniversary of King Christian VIII of Denmark (1786-1848) and his second wife Caroline Amalie (1796-1881) in 1840, as evidenced by the commemorative medal inset within the nineteenth-century lid. Christian VIII was known to be a fervent collector of drinking vessels, as was his son, the crown prince Friedrich VII (1808-1863). Following his death, a selection of Christian VIII's collection was inherited by his widow and later sold at auction after her death in 1881. Other parts of his collection went to his son Frederick VII and after the death of his 3rd wife, Lehnsgräfin Louise Danner, also sold at auction in 1874 and 1875.

The present tankard can be attributed to Johann Jacob Betzoldt (1621-1707), whose series of ivory works are carved in a very similar shallow and firm relief, decorated with full, square-faced putti. Johann Jakob trained under and was greatly influenced by his father, Jacob Betzoldt, and the sculptor Anton Kern, however Johann Jacob's style is differentiated in the use of further simplified forms. He created a speciality for himself carving tankards depicting bacchanal scenes, which can be seen in comparable works (loc. cit.).