Jewel__A_Celebration_of_Earth_s_Treasures

DIANA WITH STAG CENTREPIECE 317

T

his statuette depicting Diana,

goddess of the hunt, is

not merely a decorative

centrepiece, but also

a drinking vessel and automaton

used in early 17th-century

party games.

The statuette, 32.5cm (14in)

in height, is made from silver

parcel-gilt (partially gilded) with

repoussé work, and red coral

forming the stag’s antlers. It

depicts the Greek goddess Diana riding

a stag, accompanied by two hunting

dogs. This example was likely to have been

made by goldsmith Matthäus Walbaum

of Augsburg, Bavaria, or one of his circle.

The base of the statuette once contained

wheels powered by a clockwork

mechanism, now missing, which

could be wound with a key in a

slot on the side. The automaton

was placed on the table at

dinner parties, wound up,

and then released, at which

point it wheeled off, making

many arbitrary turns before

stopping in front of one of the

guests. The stag, which is

hollow, would have been filled

with wine by the host and the guest was

required to drain it, removing the head

and using it as a cup.

These wind-up sculptures proved

popular in the 1600s and 1700s, and

“Diana on a stag” was a favourite theme

of the renowned Augsburg goldsmiths;

around 30 such statues survive, all

produced by three of the city’s goldsmiths.

Walbaum probably created the earliest

example. Other variations of Diana from

this period, such as the automaton at Eltz

Castle, Germany, reserved the stag for the

men, with a smaller, hollow hound for the

ladies. Chains attached to the cups meant

participants had to drink in close proximity

to one another.

Diana with stag centrepiece

△ Altarpiece by Matthäus Walbaum of Augsburg, Bavaria

Another automaton depicting

Diana, Eltz Castle, Germany

Statue of Diana, which stood in Madison Square Garden,

New York, until 1925. The day it was removed, it attracted

crowds of onlookers

Key dates

1590–2000s

1500

1700

1800

Silver and gilt-copper 1900

elephant automaton

clock, Ausburg, c.1630

German stamp showing a

Rubens painting of the

goddess Diana

One of the most productive

goldsmith’s workshops

in Augsburg

Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts on Matthäus Walbaum’s workshop

1590 Matthäus Walbaum

is master goldsmith at

Augsburg, Germany

1600s Augsburg

goldsmiths create numerous

other “Diana with stag”

automatons

1632 Matthäus

Walbaum dies

2000s “Diana and

the stag” resides at the

treasury of Munich

Residence, Germany

2000

1600

1600 “Diana with stag”

automaton created

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