MUSEUM-QUALITY POUCH FOR SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS.
Nuremberg. 2nd half 16th c. Presumably Veit Schiller.

Wooden core covered with red cloth; stamped brass fittings. Inner surface with carved ornament and engraved ivory and mother-of-pearl insets; remains of marbled paper. Slightly trapezoid; hinged body with quiver-shaped base. Continuous brass fittings decorated with flowers and fruit. Lock with deployant clasp. The inner part is divided into 8 small compartments. Length 29.5cm.
Maker's mark "VS" with a clover leaf on clasp.
Condition B.

Provenance:
German collection; purchased at Kunsthandel Albrecht Neuhaus; W黵zburg.

Literature:
Snyder; Geerto. Instrumentum Medici. Der Arzt und sein Ger鋞 im Spiegelbild der Zeiten.
Ingelheim 1972. See title picture; pp.69 and 92.
Hermann P. Lockner. Die Merkzeichen der N黵nberger Rotschmiede. M黱chen 1981. Master presumably no.165.

Instrument pouches like this one were carried by travelling surgeons and contained their most important tools; such as scissors; instruments for treating cataracts and for letting blood and enema syringes.
Very few of these instrument cases have been preserved; one well-known example can be found in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg.Art trade; Van Ham.