landscape with buildings and figures
Plaque
1790-1800 (made)
1790-1800 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This micro-relief ivory plaque was made in Austria (Vienna), in about 1800, by the brothers Sebastian (1733-after 1800) and Paul Johann (1743/4-1798) Hess. The plaque was made for application on a circular panel, probably the cover of a snuff box. This plaque is painted black in places on the back to give the effect of a cameo and cut from a very thin sheet of ivory.
The brothers Hess were natives of Bamberg, but were subsequently active in Brussels, and settled in Vienna in about 1780. They were also recorded in London in 1790. They specialised in micro-carving in ivory, producing bracelets, rings and lids for boxes, often depicting landscapes and pastoral scenes, sometimes set against a bright blue background.
The brothers Hess were natives of Bamberg, but were subsequently active in Brussels, and settled in Vienna in about 1780. They were also recorded in London in 1790. They specialised in micro-carving in ivory, producing bracelets, rings and lids for boxes, often depicting landscapes and pastoral scenes, sometimes set against a bright blue background.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | landscape with buildings and figures (named collection) |
| Materials and techniques | Ivory |
| Brief description | Plaque, relief in ivory on wood medallion, circular landscape with buildings and figures, by Sebastian Hess and Paul Johann Hess, Austria (Vienna), ca. 1790-1800 |
| Physical description | Ivory plaque depicting an Italianate landscape with ruined buildings in the classical style with a bridge spanning a waterfall, and in the foreground a group of figures. The background cut away; partly painted at the back. |
| Dimensions |
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| Credit line | Given by Sydney Vacher |
| Object history | Given by the architect Sydney Vacher Esq. (1854-1934), The George Hotel, Oxted, Surrey, in 1920, along with three other ivories (one medieval, inv. no. A.108-1920), and some mother-of-pearl carvings; |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This micro-relief ivory plaque was made in Austria (Vienna), in about 1800, by the brothers Sebastian (1733-after 1800) and Paul Johann (1743/4-1798) Hess. The plaque was made for application on a circular panel, probably the cover of a snuff box. This plaque is painted black in places on the back to give the effect of a cameo and cut from a very thin sheet of ivory. The brothers Hess were natives of Bamberg, but were subsequently active in Brussels, and settled in Vienna in about 1780. They were also recorded in London in 1790. They specialised in micro-carving in ivory, producing bracelets, rings and lids for boxes, often depicting landscapes and pastoral scenes, sometimes set against a bright blue background. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.110-1920 |
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| Record created | June 24, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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