In 1621 the silver and goldsmith Johannes Lutma the Elder (c. 1584-1669) moved from Emden in Germany to Amsterdam, where he soon became one of the leading precious metal workers of his day.

Wealthy Amsterdammers were soon queueing up for a masterpiece by Lutma. His son Johannes Lutma the Younger (1624-1689) became a master silversmith in 1643. He worked alongside his father. and eventually took over the workshop. They created baroque artworks in the auricular style (kwabstijl). Johannes Lutma the Younger also produced a series of prints of his father’s ornamental designs. Their mastery of both technique and material was so profound that the Lutmas were regarded as artists rather than artisans. They were the most important silversmiths in Amsterdam.