Altar
ca. 1750 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
These precious materials are typical of mid-18th-century Roman creations. The angels are modelled on sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680). The altar - used for devotions in a private chapel - was probably a royal gift for Marie Josephe (1731-67), daughter-in-law of Louis XV of France. Her initials appear beneath the royal crown on the marble door which opens to reveal a tortoise-shell lined interior compartment.
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.
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 | Alabaster, amethyst, marble, silver-gilt, wood, tortoiseshell |
| Brief description | House altar of alabaster, amethyst, marble, silver-gilt, wood, tortoiseshell. Rome, ca.1750. |
| Physical description | White marble house altar of architectural form with a crown on the bottom panel with the initials MJL (possibly for Marie Josephe, daughter-in-law of Louis XV). The altar is decorated with alabaster, amethyst, tortoiseshell and silver-gilt. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | The bottom panel with the initials MJL (possibly for Marie Josephe, daughter-in-law of Louis XV) |
| Gallery label |
|
| Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
| Object history | Provenance: Alberto di Castro, Rome, 1976. Historical significance: Although the exact purpose of this house altar is not recorded, it was probably made as a royal present in Rome. The angels on the top recall Gian Lorenzo Bernini's angels on the altar of the Cappella del SS.Sacramento in the Vatican. Two holes bored in the upper edge of the half dome indicate that the angels originally supported a coat-of-arms or a cartouche. |
| Historical context | The crown surmounting the initials on the door panel appears to be French since it has the Bourbon fleurs-de-lys around it. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | These precious materials are typical of mid-18th-century Roman creations. The angels are modelled on sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680). The altar - used for devotions in a private chapel - was probably a royal gift for Marie Josephe (1731-67), daughter-in-law of Louis XV of France. Her initials appear beneath the royal crown on the marble door which opens to reveal a tortoise-shell lined interior compartment. 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.17-2008 |
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
