Lidded Ewer with Hunting and Fishing Scenes

Being an admired masterpiece of virtuoso ivory carving, the covered jug was never intended for ordinary use. Almost the entire surface of the vessel is broken up into hunting and fishing scenes based on Dutch engraved antecedents of the late sixteenth to mid-seventeenth centuries. Even the fragile handle structure and spout form part of the scheme. The crowning feature is accordingly putti riding on dolphins. Grießmann probably worked in Vienna and Salzburg. His works are notable for their clear articulation into ornamental parts and figured frieze, as well as the delicate layering combining flat relief, high relief and numerous freely sculptured parts.