In Praise of Good Rule

The Lacquerwork of Gérard Dagly in the Berlin Palace

Gérard Dagly (c. 1660–1715) was a master of Baroque lacquerwork. His most important work is the coin cabinet from the cabinet of antiquities of the Prussian royal art collection, now preserved in the Berlin Kunstgewerbemuseum. The dramatic composition in gold on black lacquer on the cabinet’s decorative panels is unusual for Europe, and provides early evidence of a serious artistic interaction with East Asian models. In this piece Dagly unites East Asian and European visual traditions in a homage to Frederick III, Elector of Brandenburg. Read more.

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