Vase
1580-1600 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Rock crystal is a transparent, colourless quartz. The art of carving rock crystal was known in Roman times and in Egypt under the Fatimid dynasty (909-1171). In Europe it was practised mainly in the north, but also in Italy. The Miseroni family, working in Milan then Prague from the 1550s, supplied the courts of Europe with rock crystal.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Rock crystal, with silver-gilt mount |
| Brief description | Vase, rock crystal, Italy (probably Milan), ca. 1580-1600 |
| Physical description | Vase, rock crystal, in the form of a pilgrim's bottle. On either side of the body is a grotesque mask with acanthus leaf decoration carved in relief; the mouths are pierced fro suspending the vase, and above the masks are two pierced projections for the same purpose. A delicate pattern of floral scrolls is engraved on the back and front between the masks. The neck and the lower part of the body are fluted. A silver foot has been affixed, bearing the London hall-mark for the year 1795-6. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | Bought (Warwick Collection) for £330. 15s. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Rock crystal is a transparent, colourless quartz. The art of carving rock crystal was known in Roman times and in Egypt under the Fatimid dynasty (909-1171). In Europe it was practised mainly in the north, but also in Italy. The Miseroni family, working in Milan then Prague from the 1550s, supplied the courts of Europe with rock crystal. |
| Bibliographic reference | List of Objects in the Art Division South Kensington Museum acquired during the Year 1896. Arranged according to the dates of acquisition, with appendix and indices. London: Her Majesty's Stationary Office. Wyman and Sons. 1900. pp.41 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 239-1896 |
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| Record created | March 8, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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