Amber
Amber is mineral of many names: „jantar”, good stone, sacred stone, gold of the north, Baltic gold, and the electron. Amber is also a mineral of many colours. Depending on the age amber nuggets range from nearly white, through all shades of yellow and orange, to dark almost cherry-like red.
Amber has been an object of admiration and interest for centuries. Its beauty, pleasing smell, and ease of processing have always earned it a place among decorative stones. The “golden sun-beads” were first praised by Homer himself. Pliny the Elder, a Roman historian, wrote: “Among luxury goods it is valued so high that an amber human figurine, no matter how small, costs much more than men in their prime (slaves)”. Considered a precious raw material, amber was used as a legal tender. It was also believed to have magical power and healing properties. Turned to precious amulets ages ago, today amber is used in the cosmetic industry and folk medicine. Amber liquor is a known cure for an array of aliments. The most vivid interest, however, has for centuries been stirred by inclusions. Lumps of amber frequently feature insects and plant fragments, bits of life from times millions of years ago sunk in resin and preserved forever.
The earliest exhibits testifying to the fact that amber was known and worked in the Gdańsk area date back to 8 – 4 thousand years B.C. The finds indicate it was ascribed magical power. The locals produced amber amulets in the shape of animals, deities, and hero figurines for cult purposes.
Gdańsk lies on the crossroads of both ancient and contemporary amber routes.
Back in history the land trade routes between different European cultures ran along the major rivers, including the Vistula. All led south towards the Black Sea reaching Rome (the Roman Aquileia), and Greece (the Hellenic Alexandropolis route). The Vistula amber route linked the Gdańsk Coastal area with the Mediterranean countries and was travelled along at least as early as in the 5th century B.C. between ca. 400 B.C. and ca. 30 AD Europe was dominated by the Celts. Amber was always present in their culture. The Celtic tribes spread over vast regions of Europe reaching Italy and the Balkans on the Adriatic coast. Celtic merchants revived the old and laid down new amber routes linking Italy and Illyria to the “amber coast” of Southern Baltic. The importance of amber routes for Europe went beyond the sphere of economy. Journeys spread the learning and culture. Trade was a pretext to get to know, establish closer contacts, and understand various cultures and civilisations.
The earliest evidence of an amber workshop in Gdańsk dates back to the late 10th century.
In those times the local dukes held the exclusive right to fish and mine amber. The subject-fishermen had to obtain an amber-fishing licence from the city rules. The variety of amber goods then offered was already unexpectedly high. They included beads, rings, pendants, dice, pawns, and amulets. After the great baptism of Gdańsk by St. Adalbert the assortment was broadened to include amber crosses. The amber works made by Gdańsk craftsmen were meant not only for the local market. They were also sold around other cities in the Polish territory. Finished goods and the raw material itself were transported to Flanders. Amber became exceptionally sought for in the 14th century, when the Pomerania was seized by the Teutonic Order. Trading in the raw material generated sizeable income. Amber was exported to Bruges, Lübeck, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Köln, Nurnberg and Venice. Amber stores were heavily guarded and hiding a find could earn as much as capital punishment! The policy of the knights was not, however, conducive to the development of amber crafts.
Amber art in Gdańsk flourished again under the rule of Casimir the Jagiellonian who bestowed the city with land rich in amber deposits. In the times of royal Poland Gdańsk, rich and widely known in Europe, was acclaimed a major centre of amber craft. The art works produced then included sacral sculpture and practical objects such as various tableware, caskets, boxes, candle holders, clocks and picture frames. The first amber guild was established in Gdańsk in 1477.
The turn of 16th and 17th centuries is nicknamed the Gdańsk “golden age”.
Rich city dwellers, the nobility, aristocrats, the clergy, and Polish royalties placed numerous orders for amber artefacts. Amber goods even made their way to dukes’ and monarchs’ courts all over Europe. Masterpieces by Gdańsk amber artists were esteemed the most precious diplomatic souvenirs for the popes, tsars, sultans, caliphs, and the most powerful rules of Europe. Amber gems deserving inclusions in top collections became the true hallmark of the city. Inspired by architecture, as early as in the mid-16th century amber masters began creating works following the classic structural order, to resemble well-fitted walls of stone buildings. Larger pieces of art had their walls doubled to make up for amber fragility. This very method was employed to create the famous lost Amber Chamber. Masters from Gdańsk had the largest share in the project.
The two world wars wiped out the European amber craft. Not a single workshop in Gdańsk survived. Right after the last war many artists made an attempt to restore the city’s great tradition. Initially, however, they went back to the earliest function amber would play – that of an ornament of the attire. Today, Gdańsk amber masters and their art enjoy world-wide appreciation. On the one hand, they continue the grand style of their exquisite predecessors. On the other, they reach for the vanguard. Again the creative imagination have no limits. Soon, St Bridget’s Church in Gdańsk will strike awe with a magnificent amber altar.
Bound with the sea and the “Baltic Gold of North”,
Gdańsk has cultivated the tradition of amber craft for ages. The local masters have developed their own amber processing school, and the quality of their works is unrivalled elsewhere. The Baltic amber is actually hardened mineral resin original formed 40 million year ago. The mineral contains a relatively large admixture of succinic acid, which gives it its exceptional healing properties. Gdańsk has always been a major centre of mining and processing this unique mineral famous for magnificent amber works of art. As such, the contemporary Gdańsk is a respected centre of the related scientific research. Here are the main offices of the National Amber Chamber of Commerce and the International Association of Amber Masters. Gdańsk hosts the world’s largest amber fairs: AMBERIF
and AMBERMART
. It is a recognised site on both the historic and the contemporary amber route. To recognise Gdańsk’s acclaim for amber and the mastery of its artists one of the stone varieties was called “gedanit” after the city name. Many historic and modern amber routes converge at the World Amber Capital.
See our Amber Galleries: Amber Galleries
Amber Museum
Amber has been an object of admiration and interest for centuries. Its beauty, pleasing smell, and ease of processing have always earned it a place among decorative stones. The “golden sun-beads” were first praised by Homer himself. Pliny the Elder, a Roman historian, wrote: “Among luxury goods it is valued so high that an amber human figurine, no matter how small, costs much more than men in their prime (slaves)”. Considered a precious raw material, amber was used as a legal tender. It was also believed to have magical power and healing properties. Turned to precious amulets ages ago, today amber is used in the cosmetic industry and folk medicine. Amber liquor is a known cure for an array of aliments. The most vivid interest, however, has for centuries been stirred by inclusions. Lumps of amber frequently feature insects and plant fragments, bits of life from times millions of years ago sunk in resin and preserved forever.The earliest exhibits testifying to the fact that amber was known and worked in the Gdańsk area date back to 8 – 4 thousand years B.C. The finds indicate it was ascribed magical power. The locals produced amber amulets in the shape of animals, deities, and hero figurines for cult purposes.
Gdańsk lies on the crossroads of both ancient and contemporary amber routes.
Back in history the land trade routes between different European cultures ran along the major rivers, including the Vistula. All led south towards the Black Sea reaching Rome (the Roman Aquileia), and Greece (the Hellenic Alexandropolis route). The Vistula amber route linked the Gdańsk Coastal area with the Mediterranean countries and was travelled along at least as early as in the 5th century B.C. between ca. 400 B.C. and ca. 30 AD Europe was dominated by the Celts. Amber was always present in their culture. The Celtic tribes spread over vast regions of Europe reaching Italy and the Balkans on the Adriatic coast. Celtic merchants revived the old and laid down new amber routes linking Italy and Illyria to the “amber coast” of Southern Baltic. The importance of amber routes for Europe went beyond the sphere of economy. Journeys spread the learning and culture. Trade was a pretext to get to know, establish closer contacts, and understand various cultures and civilisations. The earliest evidence of an amber workshop in Gdańsk dates back to the late 10th century.
In those times the local dukes held the exclusive right to fish and mine amber. The subject-fishermen had to obtain an amber-fishing licence from the city rules. The variety of amber goods then offered was already unexpectedly high. They included beads, rings, pendants, dice, pawns, and amulets. After the great baptism of Gdańsk by St. Adalbert the assortment was broadened to include amber crosses. The amber works made by Gdańsk craftsmen were meant not only for the local market. They were also sold around other cities in the Polish territory. Finished goods and the raw material itself were transported to Flanders. Amber became exceptionally sought for in the 14th century, when the Pomerania was seized by the Teutonic Order. Trading in the raw material generated sizeable income. Amber was exported to Bruges, Lübeck, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Köln, Nurnberg and Venice. Amber stores were heavily guarded and hiding a find could earn as much as capital punishment! The policy of the knights was not, however, conducive to the development of amber crafts. Amber art in Gdańsk flourished again under the rule of Casimir the Jagiellonian who bestowed the city with land rich in amber deposits. In the times of royal Poland Gdańsk, rich and widely known in Europe, was acclaimed a major centre of amber craft. The art works produced then included sacral sculpture and practical objects such as various tableware, caskets, boxes, candle holders, clocks and picture frames. The first amber guild was established in Gdańsk in 1477.
The turn of 16th and 17th centuries is nicknamed the Gdańsk “golden age”.
Rich city dwellers, the nobility, aristocrats, the clergy, and Polish royalties placed numerous orders for amber artefacts. Amber goods even made their way to dukes’ and monarchs’ courts all over Europe. Masterpieces by Gdańsk amber artists were esteemed the most precious diplomatic souvenirs for the popes, tsars, sultans, caliphs, and the most powerful rules of Europe. Amber gems deserving inclusions in top collections became the true hallmark of the city. Inspired by architecture, as early as in the mid-16th century amber masters began creating works following the classic structural order, to resemble well-fitted walls of stone buildings. Larger pieces of art had their walls doubled to make up for amber fragility. This very method was employed to create the famous lost Amber Chamber. Masters from Gdańsk had the largest share in the project. The two world wars wiped out the European amber craft. Not a single workshop in Gdańsk survived. Right after the last war many artists made an attempt to restore the city’s great tradition. Initially, however, they went back to the earliest function amber would play – that of an ornament of the attire. Today, Gdańsk amber masters and their art enjoy world-wide appreciation. On the one hand, they continue the grand style of their exquisite predecessors. On the other, they reach for the vanguard. Again the creative imagination have no limits. Soon, St Bridget’s Church in Gdańsk will strike awe with a magnificent amber altar.
Bound with the sea and the “Baltic Gold of North”,
Gdańsk has cultivated the tradition of amber craft for ages. The local masters have developed their own amber processing school, and the quality of their works is unrivalled elsewhere. The Baltic amber is actually hardened mineral resin original formed 40 million year ago. The mineral contains a relatively large admixture of succinic acid, which gives it its exceptional healing properties. Gdańsk has always been a major centre of mining and processing this unique mineral famous for magnificent amber works of art. As such, the contemporary Gdańsk is a respected centre of the related scientific research. Here are the main offices of the National Amber Chamber of Commerce and the International Association of Amber Masters. Gdańsk hosts the world’s largest amber fairs: AMBERIF
and AMBERMART
. It is a recognised site on both the historic and the contemporary amber route. To recognise Gdańsk’s acclaim for amber and the mastery of its artists one of the stone varieties was called “gedanit” after the city name. Many historic and modern amber routes converge at the World Amber Capital.See our Amber Galleries: Amber Galleries
Amber Museum
| adress: | The meeting point of Długa and Targ Weglowy streets; 80-836 Gdańsk |
| tel./fax:: | +48 58 767 91 15; +48 58 301 47 33 |
| site: | www.mhmg.gda.pl/bursztyn |