Amber Museum in Gdansk has recently acquired new works of art form the period of the greatest splendor of amber craft in Gdansk. The new great collection has been put together thanks to cooperation with antiquarian Georg Laue’s Kunstkammer from Munich, who decided to sell his private family collection of amber objects to the Amber Museum, despite numerous offers from other institutions. As a thank-you for previous cooperation and hoping for further help and support for the Amber Museum, Pawel Adamowicz (city mayor) awarded this special guest of the event, Georg Laue, with the Medal of the Mayor of the City of Gdansk.
The new amber collection includes works created by outstanding Gdansk masters in XVII – XVIII featuring sacred art objects, functional art and sophisticated diplomatic gifts. The exhibition, which will last to March 31st, 2009 (then the objects will be available in the historical section), includes the most precious and the most expensive exhibit in the museum – an amber cabinet signed: “Danzig/28. Julius/Ao 1724/ Johan George-/ Zernebach”, as well as: a plaque with ivory reliefs by Christoph Maucher or Johann Michael Maucher, a medallion with a relief of the Shepherds’ Bow scene by Christoph Maucher, an altar with a cross, a family altar with Madonna, figurines of the Mother of God with a baby and Madonna, a candlestick, a chest, a knife with a handle in a form of a female head, a little fork, a flirtation game – a chest with four smaller chests and tokens. Other exhibits not connected with Gdansk are: a chest with a miniature of St. Vladimir’s Order, probably made in St. Petersburg, and an Etruscan amber necklace.