Beaker
1480-1510 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This highly unusual beaker is made of blue calcedonio glass. This is a type of di-chroic [two coloured] glass, which appears orange-red under transmitted light, but blue under reflected light. The enamelled decoration shows a scene from Pyramus and Thisbe, an ancient love story written up by the 8h-century Roman poet Ovid in his Metamorphoses, (Book IV) which was hugely popular in Renaissance Italy. Pyramus, believing that his love Thisbe had been devoured by a lioness, throws himself on his sword.
When the cup was acquired by the Museum in 1959, it came in its original leather bag and wooden box, with a small hand-written note with the insription: 'In this bag is the Ancient Cup of our Familye, putt into this bagg, August 21, 1694, by me C. ffairfax', probably Charles Fairfax (1631-1711). This makes it one of the very few Venetian Renaissance glass objects with a seventeenth-century English provenance.
When the cup was acquired by the Museum in 1959, it came in its original leather bag and wooden box, with a small hand-written note with the insription: 'In this bag is the Ancient Cup of our Familye, putt into this bagg, August 21, 1694, by me C. ffairfax', probably Charles Fairfax (1631-1711). This makes it one of the very few Venetian Renaissance glass objects with a seventeenth-century English provenance.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 5 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Turquoise dichroic glass, painted with enamels and gilt. |
| Brief description | Turquoise dichroic glass beaker, enamelled and gilt, and painted with version of story of Pyramus and Thisbe. Venice, 1480-1510 |
| Physical description | Beaker of turquoise dichroic glass, painted with enamels and gilt. Depicted is a mythological scene from the story of Pyramus and Thysbe. |
| Dimensions |
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| Object history | According to a hand-written note kept with the beaker, box and bag, dated 1694 and signed by a member of the Fairfax family, it was: 'the Ancient Cup of our Family' Sold at auction: Sotheby's, London, 20th March 1959, Lot 23, property of Capt. V.M. Wombwell |
| Summary | This highly unusual beaker is made of blue calcedonio glass. This is a type of di-chroic [two coloured] glass, which appears orange-red under transmitted light, but blue under reflected light. The enamelled decoration shows a scene from Pyramus and Thisbe, an ancient love story written up by the 8h-century Roman poet Ovid in his Metamorphoses, (Book IV) which was hugely popular in Renaissance Italy. Pyramus, believing that his love Thisbe had been devoured by a lioness, throws himself on his sword. When the cup was acquired by the Museum in 1959, it came in its original leather bag and wooden box, with a small hand-written note with the insription: 'In this bag is the Ancient Cup of our Familye, putt into this bagg, August 21, 1694, by me C. ffairfax', probably Charles Fairfax (1631-1711). This makes it one of the very few Venetian Renaissance glass objects with a seventeenth-century English provenance. |
| Bibliographic reference | Émailler le verre à la Renaissance - Sur les traces des artistes verriers entre Venise et France
p.76 |
| Other number | 8344 - Glass gallery number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.17 to D-1959 |
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| Record created | December 20, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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