Cup
ca. 1585 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Schatzkammer is one of the few collections of its kind formed in the late 20th century. The Schatzkammer, or treasury, was a new concept in the 16th century. It referred to a special chamber in which the most precious artefacts of a princely collection were housed. Gold and jewelled objects were mounted alongside exotic natural curiosities, including rock crystal, ostrich eggs or shells. Turban sea snails are found in the waters off Australia and the East Indies. Highliy prized, their polished shells were encased in silver and gold. Together, these objects demonstrated not only the wonders of nature and the technical achievements of the artist, but also the intellect and culture of the patron.
The marine figures, juxtaposition of disparate elements and complete use of all available decorative space on the cup's stem and mounts are Mannerist in style. Originally developed by Italian painters in Florence and at Fontainebleau during the 1530s, the Mannerist style soon spread to northern Europe.
Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.
The marine figures, juxtaposition of disparate elements and complete use of all available decorative space on the cup's stem and mounts are Mannerist in style. Originally developed by Italian painters in Florence and at Fontainebleau during the 1530s, the Mannerist style soon spread to northern Europe.
Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Silver-gilt and polished shell |
Brief description | Silver-gilt and polished shell, England or Flanders, ca.1585. |
Physical description | A turban shell cup with silver-gilt mounts; the stem fashioned as a man riding a sea monster upon a waisted plinth. The foot of the cup is in the form of a tortoise surmounting four naturalistic feet. The exterior rim is chased with circular patterns and, above, plain tongues enclose a piece of polished turban shell, which is carved to resemble the shell of a tortoise. Four braided straps cross the shell connecting the perimeter of the tortoise to the central stem section. The cup is formed from the turban shell which has four straps; the three in front in the form of figures, masks and volutes all terminating in lion masks. The rear vertebrally decorated terminates in foliate decoration. The applied silver-gilt rim undulates in order to accommodate the natural shape of the shell and give an even surface at top, is flat-chased with scroll-and-foliate decoration. |
Dimensions |
|
Style | |
Gallery label | (Gallery 70, case 6)
3. Turban shell cup
About 1585
Turban sea snails are found in waters off Australia and the East Indies. Their shells were exported to centres across Europe where local goldsmiths would create bespoke mounts. The transformed shells, encased in silver and gold, were highly prized in treasuries throughout mainland Europe.
England or Flanders
Turban shell and gilded silver
Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.58-2008(16/11/2016) |
Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
Object history | Provenance Acquired by Arthur Gilbert from S.J. Phillips Ltd, London, 1987. |
Production | England or Flanders |
Summary | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Schatzkammer is one of the few collections of its kind formed in the late 20th century. The Schatzkammer, or treasury, was a new concept in the 16th century. It referred to a special chamber in which the most precious artefacts of a princely collection were housed. Gold and jewelled objects were mounted alongside exotic natural curiosities, including rock crystal, ostrich eggs or shells. Turban sea snails are found in the waters off Australia and the East Indies. Highliy prized, their polished shells were encased in silver and gold. Together, these objects demonstrated not only the wonders of nature and the technical achievements of the artist, but also the intellect and culture of the patron. The marine figures, juxtaposition of disparate elements and complete use of all available decorative space on the cup's stem and mounts are Mannerist in style. Originally developed by Italian painters in Florence and at Fontainebleau during the 1530s, the Mannerist style soon spread to northern Europe. Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996. |
Bibliographic references |
|
Other numbers |
|
Collection | |
Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.58-2008 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
Record created | June 19, 2008 |
Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest