Vase and Cover
16th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This vase and cover are made of copper covered in a thin layer of silver, which would have been cheaper than solid silver. Although less prestigious than silver, copper did to some extent compete with it. Copper was very malleable and metalworkers could decorate it using the sophisticated decorative techniques seen on silverware.
In the period 1500-1600 Italian metalworkers decorated copperwares with the kind of rich decoration you can see on this piece. The decoration usually covered the whole surface and included animals, birds and floral scrolls that were part of the Mannerist style that emerged in Northern Italy from about the 1520s.
Here the metalworker has used the repoussé technique, which involves working
from the back or underside of the metal to create the decoration in relief.
In the period 1500-1600 Italian metalworkers decorated copperwares with the kind of rich decoration you can see on this piece. The decoration usually covered the whole surface and included animals, birds and floral scrolls that were part of the Mannerist style that emerged in Northern Italy from about the 1520s.
Here the metalworker has used the repoussé technique, which involves working
from the back or underside of the metal to create the decoration in relief.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Copper, silvered and repoussé |
| Brief description | Vase and cover, copper repoussé with floral scrolls, animals and birds and acanthus leaves for decoration, Italian, 16th century |
| Physical description | Bands of floral scrolls form compartments, each filled with an animal or bird; on the cover and round the lower part of the body are bands of acanthus leaves. |
| Dimensions |
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| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This vase and cover are made of copper covered in a thin layer of silver, which would have been cheaper than solid silver. Although less prestigious than silver, copper did to some extent compete with it. Copper was very malleable and metalworkers could decorate it using the sophisticated decorative techniques seen on silverware. In the period 1500-1600 Italian metalworkers decorated copperwares with the kind of rich decoration you can see on this piece. The decoration usually covered the whole surface and included animals, birds and floral scrolls that were part of the Mannerist style that emerged in Northern Italy from about the 1520s. Here the metalworker has used the repoussé technique, which involves working from the back or underside of the metal to create the decoration in relief. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 424-1892 |
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| Record created | February 11, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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