'Nuremberg' Dishes
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Glasgow Museums holds a collection 125 brass bowls and dishes commonly attributed to fifteenth and sixteenth century Nuremberg, Germany. 75 of these dishes were collected by Sir William Burrell and donated to Glasgow in 1944, the other 50, were donated in 1922, by fellow Glasgow born shipping magnate, Leonard Gow. During the late middle-ages Nuremberg was a major metal-working centre famed for its quality utensils, domestic goods, armour and weaponry. As a leading producer and exporter of base metal goods, it is believed that the majority of these decorative brass dishes originated from the city’s workshops. However, dishes produced with the same techniques, motifs and designs may have been produced throughout Germany and the Low Countries. Sometimes used and displayed in religious houses as alms dishes or fonts, these dishes were more commonly found in domestic settings, in the households of the affluent middle classes and the aristocracy. On occasion such wares would be used for food presentation or for hand-washing, although their primary function was seemingly decorative. Contemporary art works depict such pieces mounted on walls, used as candle reflectors, or proudly presented on sideboards. Although the basin-beaters (Beckenschläger) produced great quantities of these dishes, evidence suggests that they were often regarded as treasured possessions and occasionally prized family heirlooms.
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