If you are an admirer of amber (like we are) and visiting Germany this year, you have to stop at the Castle Museum in Ghota which opened “Gold of the North – a recovery of an amber cabinet” exhibition. The exhibition features the history of recovered XVIIth century amber cabinet decorated with ivory reliefs. The unusual amber cabinet has been acquired from private collectors with great help of art historians from Munich and Georg Laue, an antiquarian.
The cabinet was severely damaged – as a result of a fall it had broken down into 100 pieces, which were put together with great difficulty. Also the damages resulting from previous unsuccessful attempts of restoration had to be repaired. The purchase price of the object was 20 000 Euro, whereas the costs of essential restoration in a workshop of Annina Seele, a restorer from Heidelberg, specializing in amber, cost almost 19 000 Euro. The amber cabinet belonged to Friedenstein Kunstkammer in XVIIth century and then changed owners throughout ages and finally got severely damage during war.
Although the exhibition is focused on the cabinet it also features other amber objects worth seeing. The collection includes: jewelry case, writing kit, family altar, board game, chessboard and a clock. All objects are made of amber, ivory and silver.
For more information visit website of the museum.