Nuremburg Charger
Nuremburg Charger
Decorative Charger. Brass, Hammered in Relief and Stamped. 16th/17th Century, German(Nuremberg).
Diameter 40 cm.
The central image of this piece shows the commonly understood depiction of Adam and Eve flanking the Tree of Knowledge with the tempting Serpent and Forbidden Fruit. Surrounding German text is die-stamped four times “CH WART DER IN FRIDE”(Christ came in Peace) - a reference to Christ arriving to make peace after the Fall of Adam, expulsion from the Garden of Eden and the separation from God.
Nuremberg was one of the main centers for brass metalwork beginning in the 15th century. Shallow circular dishes were produced in large numbers with secular and religious imagery, gadrooned borders and rolled flanges.
The work was exported throughout Europe, but heavily regulated and protected within the Nuremberg town council of “Basin Beaters.” Brass dishes had a functional purpose in the home for serving food and as wash basins. However, they were primarily decorative, displayed by the wealthy middle class to emulate the gold and silver pieces created for the European courts.
For most people, brass was an expensive metal, and such objects were considered valuable family possessions and kept in the home for generations. After the 17th century, the style and presentation of these dishes went out of fashion, and many were donated to local churches and used to collect alms.