Adam and Eve
Powder Flask
ca. 1600 (made)
ca. 1600 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This flask formed part of a garniture of firearms similarly decorated and probably made for display rather than use. It is carved in relief with Adam and Eve on either side of the tree of Life. Behind the root of the tree is the figure of a stag. The figures of Adam and Eve are derived from an engraving of 1504 after Dürer (1471-1528). The quartered arms, accompanied by the initials I.Z.W., are probably those of a member of the zu Welsberg family, of the Tyrol (quarterly argent and sable). The eagle displayed near the bottom is also probably that of the Tyrol. The flask is therefore likely to be Austrian, or perhaps South German. The use of the Dürer engraving as a source for the figures implies that this piece dates to the time of the Dürer revival in the early seventeenth century.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Adam and Eve (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Carved staghorn with silver-gilt mounts |
| Brief description | Powder Flask, carved staghorn with silver gilt mounts, with Adam and Eve, Austria (Tyrol) or South German, ca. 1600 |
| Physical description | Carved in relief with Adam and Eve on either side of tree of Life. The back is plain, the background is gilded, the mounts silver gilt. Behind the root of the tree is the figure of a stag; at the top is a coat of arms with the letters I.Z.W.; Below are figures of a merman and a mermaid, and an eagle, which may be a heraldic device. The background of the figures appears to have traces of gilding. At the sides are two male herms with their arms crossed; the back is unworked. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | 'I.Z.W.' (in the coat of arms) |
| Object history | Acquired in London in 1854. The figures of Adam and Eve derived from an engraving of 1504 by Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528). The use of the Dürer engraving as a source for the figures implies that this piece dates to the time of the Dürer revival in the early seventeenth century. Because the family for whom this powder flask was almost certainly made was Tyrolean, it is likely to be Austrian, or perhaps South German. |
| Historical context | This flask, which is decorated with the arms of the Welpsberg family of Tyrol, formed part of a garniture of firearms similarly decorated and probably made for display rather than use. |
| Production | Carved in relief with Adam and Eve on either side of the tree of Life. Behind the root of the tree is the figure of a stag. The figures of Adam and Eve are derived from an engaving after Dürer. The quartered arms, accompanied by the initials I.Z.W., are probably those of a member of the zu Welsberg family, of the Tyrol (quarterly argent and sable). The eagle displayed near the bottom is also probably that of the Tyrol. This flask formed part of a garniture of firearms similarily decorated and probably made for display rather than use. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This flask formed part of a garniture of firearms similarly decorated and probably made for display rather than use. It is carved in relief with Adam and Eve on either side of the tree of Life. Behind the root of the tree is the figure of a stag. The figures of Adam and Eve are derived from an engraving of 1504 after Dürer (1471-1528). The quartered arms, accompanied by the initials I.Z.W., are probably those of a member of the zu Welsberg family, of the Tyrol (quarterly argent and sable). The eagle displayed near the bottom is also probably that of the Tyrol. The flask is therefore likely to be Austrian, or perhaps South German. The use of the Dürer engraving as a source for the figures implies that this piece dates to the time of the Dürer revival in the early seventeenth century. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 234-1854 |
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| Record created | April 2, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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