A Master Silversmith Lost to Time: The Enigmatic Matthias Gelb The name Matthias Gelb resonates faintly through the annals of 17th-century German craftsmanship, a whisper attached to an object of extraordinary beauty and skill – the tankard created in 1671. While biographical details remain stubbornly scarce, the very existence of this singular work speaks volumes about Gelb’s talent and position within the artistic landscape of his era. He wasn't merely a silversmith; he was a storyteller who translated complex narratives into gleaming silver and rich ivory, a testament to the Baroque fasci…