This fall, from October 13 to December 16, Galerie Kugel is hosting "Amber: Treasures from the Baltic Sea XNUMXth–XNUMXth Century," a new exhibition on amber, a unique material that has amazed people since ancient times. Amber is light, aromatic, delicately colored, possesses electrical properties, and comes in a variety of colors, ranging from translucent crimson to opaque white.
The exhibition "Amber: Treasures of the Baltic Sea, 16th–18th Centuries" is the first event in France devoted to this material. It took the Kugel Gallery nearly two decades to assemble some fifty works for display. Combining sculptures, caskets, bowls, and games, the wide variety of works on display testifies to the fascination with amber from the 16th to the 18th centuries and the talent of numerous artists in bringing out all the nuances of this remarkable material.
From Roman times to the 18th century, scholars speculated about the origin of amber, with some identifying it as whale sperm and others as solidified lynx urine. Its mystery gives it medicinal properties. It was recommended in powder form for ailments such as depression, toothaches, and epilepsy, and as a love potion. The inclusions of insects or small animals that sometimes become trapped in it make amber a symbol of immortality.
Pliny the Elder guessed its nature from observations of plant resin, but it wasn't until 1757 that the Russian scholar Mikhail Lomonosov determined its true origin. For the objects in this exhibition, it is fossilized resin from a prehistoric forest 30 to 40 million years ago, located under the Baltic Sea, between the cities of Danzig (present-day Gdańsk, Poland) and Königsberg (present-day Kaliningrad, Russia), which was part of East Prussia. Numerous Baltic amber jewelry and small statues are found in the Greek and Roman worlds, in the tomb of Tutankhamun, and even as far away as China, providing fascinating clues about the trade along the "Amber Road" at the time, from the Baltic to the Adriatic.
In the 1490th century, Grand Master Albert of Brandenburg-Ansbach (1568-XNUMX) converted to Protestantism and established the Order of the Teutonic Knights in the Duchy of Prussia. His physicians published the first books on amber extraction and its medicinal properties. He signed a contract, for a fee, guaranteeing Jan Janski, a native of Danzig, a monopoly on amber extraction. This was only the beginning of a major expansion in the trade and production of amber art objects. They became excellent diplomatic gifts from Prussia and were sought after by European monarchs and princes to adorn their "Kunstkammern" (cabinets of curiosities).
Visitor information
Amber: Treasures of the Baltic Sea 16th – 18th centuries
Galerie Kugel Paris – 25 quai Anatole-France 75007 Paris – free entry – from Wednesday, October 18 to Saturday, December 16, 2023 – Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 18 p.m. – Opening on Tuesday, October 17;
About Amber
Amber is an organic substance that comes from the fossilization of the resin of certain trees, especially conifers. It has been used since prehistoric times as a material for jewelry and perfumery, and is sometimes considered a gemstone. Amber comes in various colors, from yellow to reddish, and it can contain inclusions of animals or plants trapped in the resin millions of years ago. These inclusions are very useful for paleontologists studying past species and environments. Amber also has electrostatic properties that were discovered by the ancient Greeks, who called it elektron. The word amber comes from the Arabic anbar, which originally referred to ambergris, a substance produced by sperm whales.
About Galerie Kugel Paris
Traveling the world, Nicolas and Alexis Kugel have unearthed meticulously researched treasures, which they will present to the curious and connoisseurs, embracing French and European culture, carrying the values of excellence of Arts Déco, cultural ecumenism and contributions to the enrichment of the collections of the greatest museums in the world... true "influencers" of good taste.
Located in the Hôtel Collot on Quai Anatole in France, opposite Place de la Concorde in central Paris, Galerie Kugel Paris has become a must-visit for collectors, curators, and art lovers. Nicolas and Alexis Kugel are the fifth generation of a family of art dealers, a tradition that began in the early 2015th century. In XNUMX, Laura, representing the sixth generation, joined the gallery.
André Tirlet
Photo captions:
1/ Complete games box with its pawns, two dice and its chess set, By Michel Redlin Made in Danzig, around 1680 © Guillaume Benoit
2/ Small tankard in translucent and milky amber mounted in gilded silver, By Georg Schreiber The mount by Andreas Meyer (Master in 1608-1647) Made in Königsberg, around 1610 © Guillaume Benoit
3/ Small cup decorated with figures mounted in enamelled gold Attributed to Johann Caspar Labhart (active 1695-1726) Made in Kassel, around 1690 Mounted by Reinhold Vasters, around 1870 From the collections of Baron James de Rothschild © Guillaume Benoit
4/ Complete games box with its pawns, two dice and its chess set, By Michel Redlin Made in Danzig, around 1680 © Guillaume Benoit
5/ Complete games box with its pawns, two dice and its chess set, By Michel Redlin Made in Danzig, around 1680 © Guillaume Benoit
6 – 7/ © Guillaume Benoit 8/ © Jérôme Galland Courtesy Galerie Kugel
