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
316-317_STO_Diana_with_Stag_Final.indd 317 18/05/2016 11:01