A Swedish Rococo mid-18th century mirror with silver frame signed by Christian Precht.
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Rectangular, height 44 cm, width 34.5 cm. Profiled frame with cast and applied corner ornaments of late Baroque character. In the crest of the mirror, a cast rocaille-shaped cartouche over crossed flowering branches. In the cartouche, engraved monogram LUF.
Below on the frame engraved signature: " C.Precht fecit Stockholm" and weight "49 lo"
Provenance
Bukowskis International Spring Auction, auction no. 492, 25-27 May 1994, catalogue no. 629.
The John and Lisa Strandberg's collection. Bukowskis catalog no. 386, autumn 1970, no. 68.
Literature
Gustaf Munthe, "Konsthantverkaren Christian Precht" (=The Arts and Craftsman Christian Precht), Stockholm 1957.
Gustaf Munthe, chapter "A Signed Silverwork by Christian Precht", The Röhsska Museum's yearbook 1958.
Bengt Bengtsson and Gustaf Munthe, "Silversmide, konsthistoria och teknik" (=Silversmithing, Art History and Technique), Stockholm 1962, the overpiece illustrated p. 165.
More information
The Silver Mirror by Christian Precht
Christian Precht (1706-79) is usually considered to be the one who introduced the Rococo style to Swedish arts and crafts. The majority of his pattern drawings for gold and silver objects are preserved at the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm today, and it shows his great ability as a designer. He apprenticed as a goldsmith with Gustaf Stafhell the elder. in Stockholm but then continued with studies in London, Paris and several German cities before returning home in 1731. Then inspired by some of the great names of the time such as Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier and Thomas Germain. Since he never sought to become a master himself among Stockholm's goldsmith's and thus be entitled to put his own stamp/mark on his creations, his items can often be found with marks of other masters. For example, his collaboration with Anders Liedberg is documented by the Christian Precht researcher Gustaf Munthe, who also includes the gold box in this auction, catalog no. 316, in his large book on Christian Precht.
The only silver item that is certainly executed and signed by Christian Precht himself is this mirror, catalog no. 247, which bears the inscription "C. Precht fecit Stockholm" on the lower edge of the frame. It was likely, as the son of Stockholm's greatest mirror maker Burchardt Precht rather than as a goldsmith himself, that he received the order for this mirror, which was probably made in the 1740s. The profiled molding and corner ornaments are almost of a late Baroque character, but the crest of the mirror with the rocaille-shaped cartouche over crossed flowering twigs is undoubtedly Rococo, and a similar cartouche can also be found on one of his pattern drawings. For Precht's orders to the court he could leave the silver unmarked, for sales to private individuals he probably borrowed someone else's stamp/mark when he not only designed but also manufactured an object. Precht considered himself primarily an artist but he also knew the craft.