The exceptional “Eingehurn” of Würzburg cathedral canon Andreas von Thüngen

The exceptional “Eingehurn” of Würzburg cathedral canon Andreas von Thüngen

Engraved and blackened ivory, bone, gold, polychrome opaque enamel, precious and semi-precious stones. L 73 cm, upper D ca. 7 cm.
Carved circa 1550 – 65, the gold mountings attributed to Nuremberg, circle of Wenzel Jamnitzer.

Both ends of this slender, very white elephant tusk are fitted with finely engraved and enamelled gold collars. The broad end has a lid with two hinges and bolts attached to a chain. The lid is made from the end of a malformed roebuck antler. The edge of the lid is encompassed by a gold mounting ring with a two-line inscription in blackened lettering: “HER GEORG VON FRONSPERG HAT MICH GEBN/ HER CVNRADEN VON BAIMLBERG EBN/ HER CONRAD HAT MIT MIR VEREHRT/ HER ANDRESSEN VON THVNGEN WERT”. The inside of the lid is inset with a black and white enamelled medallion bearing the arms of alliance of said persons. The collars at both ends of the tusk are decorated with foliate scrolls after designs by Peter Flötner, picked out in indented fields of black, white and blue enamel. A quartz crystal seal backed with red lacquer and metal foil has been inserted under one of the hinges. The seal is finely carved with the coat-of-arms of Andreas von Thüngen and the monogram “EVT” for Endres von Thüngen. Beneath the second hinge is an octagonally cut emerald that was added later. The mountings are encrusted with a further three gemstones in precisely modelled bezel settings in varying sizes surrounded by raised cord designs. The stones comprise of: 1.) Chromium chalcedony intaglio carved with a satyr dressed in a nebris holding a shepherd's crook in his left hand, 1st century A.D. 2.) Translucent carnelian intaglio carved with a very fine depiction of Venus in a chiton with a sceptre and an ointment jar, to her right Cupid with a pomegranate on a stick, to the left Cupid raising his hand in greeting, early Roman imperial era, 1st century A.D. 3.) Carnelian intaglio with a centaur striding left playing a lyre and carrying a thyrsus over his shoulder, Augustinian, late 1st century B.C. 4.) Translucent carnelian intaglio finely carved with the head of Cupid or a child in a three-dimensional manner, 1st / 2nd century A.D. 5.) Layered agate cameo carved with the head of an Oriental figure facing left, Italy, 16th century. 6.) Garnet intaglio carved with the head of a satyr facing left, late 1st century B.C.
Directly under the gold mountings is a band engraved with the coats-of-arms of his four grandparents, each inscribed “VATTER THVNG” (grandfather on his father's side, Weiprecht I.), “MVT:VAET V RENEC” (grandfather on his mother's side, Philipp Voit von Rieneck), “VATT:MVT: STEINRVCK” (grandmother on his father's side, Jutta von Steinau von Steinrück) and ”MVT:MVT TRVCKS/V WECZ: HAVS“ (grandmother on his mother's side, Anna Truchseß von Wetzhausen). Engraved on the upper face in the narrow inner edge of the tusk with a vertical banderole inscribed: “ANNO 1536 AN S MARX TAG 25. APRILIS IST DER HOF ZV THVNGEN NEBEN NOCH. 44. TACHEN ABGEBRANT. VND DARDVRCH DER ERWIRDIG VND EDEL HERR ANDREAS VON THVNGEN THVMHER ZV WIRTZB: VND PROBST ZV.S. / BVRCHARD DOSELBST VERVRSACHT WORDEN DEN SELBEN SEINEN BRVEDERN. VND ERBEN ZV EHREN WIDER VON GRVND VND AVF SEINEN EIGNEN CHOSTEN BAVEN ZV LASSEN VND IST IM AVFBAVEN VNDER DER SCHEVRN DIS EINGEHVRN MIT SAMBT DEM THIER SO GAR VERWESEN. XXIIII. WERCK SCHVCH. TIEF VNDER DER ERDEN”. Both outer faces of the tusk decorated with eleven engraved and black pigmented scenes divided by columns. The eight scenes from the Passion of Christ, the majority of which based on Albrecht Dürer's engraved Passion of 1507-1512 and one on his sheet “Peter and John heal a lame man” from his Apostles series of 1513, are followed by three labelled depictions of the Virgin Mary and the saints Andrew, the namesake of Andreas von Thüngen and patron of Würzburg cathedral, and Kilian, the patron of the bishopric of Würzburg. On the other side are “S. BVRCKHA”(rdus), who unearthed the relics of Saint Kilian, flanked by the imperial warrior saints “GREGORIVS” and “S. MORICIVS”, as the house of Thüngen was an imperial knightly house. Saint Andrew and the Virgin Mary are based on engravings by Hans Sebald Beham. The capitals of the columns that separate the saints crowned with shields emblazoned with the arms of Prince Bishop Konrad von Thüngen (1466 – 1540), the cathedral dean Friedrich von Brandenburg-Ansbach (1497 – 1536) who was active during Konrad's times, and the cathedral deacon Johann von Guttenberg (1460 – 1538). Another depicts the heraldic charge of the bishops from the house of Bibra, who served before and after Konrad von Thüngen. The gold mountings of the tip of the horn correspond with those of the top. The band is encrusted with two striking oval bezel settings containing two flat oval intaglios and a cameo at the tip of the horn. 1.) Red jasper intaglio carved with a depiction of Minerva sitting on a trophy bundle beside Cupid in flight on her right and with two standards before her, presumably Italy, 16th century. 2.) Gnostic haematite intaglio carved with a man with the head of Anubis in armour with a trident above a crocodile and beside a cornucopia and an eagle on the left and a crab and the crown of Hathor on a table, above them a scorpion, Egypto-Roman, 2nd - 3rd century A.D. 3.) Translucent carnelian intaglio finely carved with the head of a woman wearing a diadem (possibly Venus) with parted hair, 1st - 2nd century A.D.
We would like to thank Kai Scheuermann in Cologne for his descriptions of the intaglios and cameos.

Throughout the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, ivory was as rare and expensive as gold and precious stones. Even the smallest pieces were preciously set and elaborately carved in miniature. The appearance of a whole elephant tusk was therefore a great rarity. This tusk, measuring 72 cm in length, is set in pure gold and studded with numerous ancient intaglios and cameos, gemstones with indented or raised carving. The lid is inset with an abnormally formed roebuck horn. This combination of ivory and horn, as well as the opulent carvings and mountings mark this object out as something very special. However, it only becomes apparent just how special it is upon closer examination of the expressive carved decoration. The hollowed out ivory tusk has been converted into a drinking horn with the help of the lid and collar mountings, although this function is more symbolic than literal. Another use for tusks such as these was to convert them into an oliphants, a kind of wind instrument often found in cabinets of curiosities, but Andreas von Thüngen apparently decided against this. Upon opening the lid, the first thing that catches one's eye is the elaborate round collar around its edge. The inscription in Latin capital letters provides us with information about the work's previous owners. Georg von Fronsberg/ Frundsberg (1473 - 1528) was a high-ranking soldier in the service of the Habsburg emperor. We know what he looked like because he was portrayed by Christoph Amberger (a work which is today housed in the picture gallery of the SMPK). When Frundsberg suffered a stroke in 1527, Konrad von Bemelberg took over as commander-in-chief. Both Frundsberg and Bemelberg accompanied Eberhard, Wilhelm and Kasper von Thüngen (brothers of Andreas von Thüngen) on war campaigns in France and Italy, during which all three brothers lost their lives. Bemelberg gave Andreas von Thüngen the ivory tusk out of compassion or solidarity. We also know of a portrait of Konrad von Bemelberg, namely a full-length depiction in full armour, painted in 1565 by Petrus Dorisy when he was 71 years old. The work today hangs in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. It is therefore to be assumed that both Fronsberg and Bemelberg were very open-minded towards art and were probably passionate collectors. This would explain the ownership of such a precious elephant tusk, which was an unusual item to be found even in the possession of a high-ranking military officer.
Andreas von Thüngen came from a noble family in Franconia whose eponymous ancestral home was located in the Werntal. The town of Thüngen is mentioned for the first time on February 9th 788 in the Codex Eberhardi of the Imperial Monastery of Fulda. On February 5th 1100, the nobleman Karl I and his son Eylhard I von Thüngen became the first members of the family to sign a document at Fulda monastery. Born in 1506, Andreas became canon of Würzburg cathedral in 1520. He later studied together with his brother in Leipzig in 1526 before becoming canon and provost at the noble secular canonry of St. Burkhard in Würzburg in 1540, as well as provost of the Cistercian monastery of Wechterswinkel in 1545. He died in 1565 and was buried in Würzburg Cathedral, where other members of his family also found their final resting place. The drinking horn is densely and finely engraved throughout, and the engravings have been blackened to stand out more clearly against the white of the ivory. Both sides are carved with scenes from the Passion of Christ and images of patron saints chosen for their relationship to the family. The Passion scenes were inspired by the works of Albrecht Dürer, although they have been varied slightly. This kind of iconography was expected of a piece made for a canon such as Andreas von Thüngen. The four family coats-of-arms engraved prominently onto the broad side of the tusk just below the upper opening are those of his grandparents. Seen from a modern perspective, one could assume that the inclusion of these ancient predecessors was intended as an attempt to ennoble the object by making it out to be an old family heirloom, but this was not the case. From Andrew's point of view, the ancestors were included as a reference to himself and not to the drinking horn's provenance. In the indentation on the upper side of the horn, a two-line inscription in Latin capital...