Powder Flask
ca. 1850 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
This is a turned and cylindrical ivory powder flask made in Germany (Nuremberg), dated 1543. It is engraved with hunting scenes, a boar and a bear hunt respectively.
The flask is prominently dated '1543' in a scrolled cartouche above the landscape scenes. The silver mounts are engraved with the arms of the Holzschuher family, as augmented by King Emmanuel of Portugal in 1503, in favour of Wolfgang Holzschuher of Nuremberg (d. 1547), after the King had conferred on him the knighthood of the Order of Christ in recognition of his services against the Muslims. The flask is however almost certainly a nineteenth-century confection, made to deceive. the form is odd and the fact that the date is displayed so prominently is itself suspicious. The hunting scenes are probably based on engraved sources.
The production of ivories in historicizing styles in the 19th century flourished in a number of centres, including Cologne, Milan, Toulouse and Cordoba. Although not always made to deceive, unscrupulous dealers often sold them as genuine objects to their clients.
The flask is prominently dated '1543' in a scrolled cartouche above the landscape scenes. The silver mounts are engraved with the arms of the Holzschuher family, as augmented by King Emmanuel of Portugal in 1503, in favour of Wolfgang Holzschuher of Nuremberg (d. 1547), after the King had conferred on him the knighthood of the Order of Christ in recognition of his services against the Muslims. The flask is however almost certainly a nineteenth-century confection, made to deceive. the form is odd and the fact that the date is displayed so prominently is itself suspicious. The hunting scenes are probably based on engraved sources.
The production of ivories in historicizing styles in the 19th century flourished in a number of centres, including Cologne, Milan, Toulouse and Cordoba. Although not always made to deceive, unscrupulous dealers often sold them as genuine objects to their clients.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Engraved, inked and turned ivory with the silver mounts |
Brief description | Powder flask, ivory with silver mounts, engraved with hunting scenes, Germany (Nuremberg), ca. 1830 (spuriously dated) 1543 |
Physical description | Turned cylindrical powder flask in ivory, engraved and inked in with hunting scenes - a scene of a boar hunt and a bear hunt - in a landscape, with a church in the distance. A frieze of running hares, dogs, a goose and a seated stag runs round the upper rim. The flask is prominently dated '1543' in a scrolled cartouche above the landscape scenes. The silver mounts are engraved with the arms of the Holzschuher family. |
Dimensions |
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Marks and inscriptions |
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Object history | Bought from Messrs Goldschmidt, Frankfurt in 1872. |
Subjects depicted | |
Summary | This is a turned and cylindrical ivory powder flask made in Germany (Nuremberg), dated 1543. It is engraved with hunting scenes, a boar and a bear hunt respectively. The flask is prominently dated '1543' in a scrolled cartouche above the landscape scenes. The silver mounts are engraved with the arms of the Holzschuher family, as augmented by King Emmanuel of Portugal in 1503, in favour of Wolfgang Holzschuher of Nuremberg (d. 1547), after the King had conferred on him the knighthood of the Order of Christ in recognition of his services against the Muslims. The flask is however almost certainly a nineteenth-century confection, made to deceive. the form is odd and the fact that the date is displayed so prominently is itself suspicious. The hunting scenes are probably based on engraved sources. The production of ivories in historicizing styles in the 19th century flourished in a number of centres, including Cologne, Milan, Toulouse and Cordoba. Although not always made to deceive, unscrupulous dealers often sold them as genuine objects to their clients. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | 631-1872 |
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Record created | September 12, 2008 |
Record URL |
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