The "Eingehurn" of the Würzburg Canon Andreas... Lot 18

The "Eingehurn" of the Würzburg Canon Andreas von Thüngen Ivory, engraved and blackened, bone, gold, polychrome opaque cell enamel, precious and semi-precious stones. L 73 cm, upper D ca. 7 cm. Worked around 1550 - 65, the gold mount attributed to Wenzel Jamnitzer. Both ends of the narrow, very white curved elephant tusk are enclosed in finely engraved and coloured enamelled gold mounts. At the wide end is a lid with two hinges, each with a shoot-through latch attached to a chain. The lid consists of the rose piece of an intertwined roebuck's horn. The rim of the lid is enclosed by a gold mount with a double row of blackened lettering: "HER GEORG VON FRONSPERG GAVE ME/ HER CVNRADEN VON BAIMLBERG EBN/ HER CONRAD WORSHIPPED WITH ME/ HER ANDRESSEN VON THVNGEN WERT". On the inside a black and white enamelled round medallion with the alliance coat of arms of the aforementioned is applied. The cuffs at both ends of the horn are decorated with vegetal vines after Peter Flötner in recessed black, white, and blue enameled fond fields. Under one hinge a very finely cut rock crystal is inserted as a seal stone, underlaid with red lacquer and metal foils, with the coat of arms of Andreas von Thüngen and the monogram "EVT" for Endres von Thüngen. Under the second, opposite hinge is an octagonal-cut emerald, inserted later. Three more stones each in precise larger and smaller settings surrounded by sculpted cords adorn the sides of the mount: 1. chrome chalcedony gem with a satyr, clothed in nebris, holding a shepherd's crook on the left, 1st century AD. 2nd translucid carnelian gem in very fine style. Venus in chiton with scepter and ointment vessel, on the right an Eros with a pomegranate on a staff, on the left Eros with hand raised in salute, early Roman Imperial period, 1st century AD. 3. carnelian gem with centaur playing lyre to the left, shouldering the thyrsos staff, Augustan, end of 1st century B.C. 4. translucent carnelian gem with head of a Cupid or a child in very fine sculptural style, 1st/2nd century A.D. 5. four-layered layered agate cameo with the head of an oriental to the left, Italy, 16th century. 6th garnet cameo with a satyr's head to the left, late 1st century BC. Directly below the gold mount runs a band with the four engraved coats of arms of his grandparents, each inscribed "VATTER THVNG" (paternal grandfather Weiprecht I.), "MVT:VAET V RENEC" (maternal grandfather Philipp Voit von Rieneck), "VATT:MVT: STEINRVCK" (paternal grandmother Jutta von Steinau von Steinrück) and "MVT:MVT TRVCKS/V WECZ: HAVS" (maternal grandmother Anna Truchseß von Wetzhausen). On the top, the narrow inner edge of the horn is engraved a vertical saying: "ANNO 1536 AN S MARX TAG 25. APRILIS IST DER HOF ZV THVNGEN NEBEN NOCH. 44. TACHEN ABGEBRANT. AND THEREFORE THE HONOURABLE AND NOBLE LORD ANDREAS VON THVNGEN THVMHER ZV WIRTZB: VND PROBST ZV.S. / BVRCHARD DOSELBST VERVRSACHT WORDEN DEN SELBEN SEINEN BRVEDERN. VND HEIRS ZV HONOUR AGAIN FROM GRVND VND AVF HIS OWN CHOSTEN BAVEN VND IS IN AVFBAVEN VNDER DER SCHEVRN DIS EINGEHVRN MIT SAMBT DEM THIER SO GAR VERWESEN. XXIIII. WORK SCHVCH. TIEF VNDER DER ERDEN". Both outer sides of the horn are decorated with eleven engraved, blackened scenes separated by columns. After eight pictures each from the Passion of Christ, most of which follow Albrecht Dürer's engraved Passion of 1507-1512 as well as the sheet "Peter and John heal the lame" of 1513 belonging to his Acts of the Apostles, come three designated saints: St. Andrew as patron saint of Andrew. On the other side the first bishop of Würzburg "S. BVRCKHA"(rdus), who had raised the bones of Kilian, flanked by the knight and imperial saints "GREGORIVS" and "S. MORICIVS" for the house Thüngen belonging to the imperial knighthood. St. Andrew and St. Mary were inspired by engravings by Hans Sebald Beham. On the capitals between the saints are engraved coats of arms of the prince-bishop Konrad von Thüngen (1466 - 1540), the cathedral provost Friedrich von Brandenburg-Ansbach (1497 - 1536), who was active in his time, and the cathedral dean Johann von Guttenberg (1460 - 1538). Another shows the heraldic animal of the bishops from the House of Bibra who ruled before and after Konrad von Thüngen. The gold mounting of the horn tip corresponds to the upper mounting. Two concise oval mounts enclose two flat oval gems and a cameo on the