Beaker
Throughout the 18th century, drinking vessels carved from the horn of the alpine Ibex (a wild goat species) were almost exclusively made at the court of the Prince Bishop of Salzburg, in present-day Austria. Ibex horn was a valuable commodity once thought to have aphrodisiac and poison-detecting properties. As a result, hunting ibex was the closely-guarded privilege of the Prince Bishop and many Ibex horn beakers were made as diplomatic gifts. Extensive Ibex hunting decimated its numbers to near-extinction in the 19th century.
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
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Chased gilded silver (silver-gilt), carved horn |
| Brief description | Beaker, silver-gilt and carved horn, Johann Jacob Adam, 1751. |
| Physical description | Silver-gilt and Ibex horn beaker of ovoid section with chased mounts, the body carved with scenes of villagers, hunters and game. The finial is a figure of a hunter and his catch. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | No town or maker's mark |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
| Object history | Carved ibex horn vessels were almost exclusively made at the court of the Prince Bishop of Salzburg, where ibex horn beakers were used as diplomatic gifts. The horn of the alpine ibex was thought to have healing powers in the eighteenth-century, an assumption that ensured its price at the time. It also contributed to the rapid decline of the population in the eighteenth century, the animal was virtually extinct in parts of the alpine region in the eighteenth-century. Therefore, in the bishopric of Salzburg where ibex continued to live, hunting ibex was the closely-guarded privilege of the Prince Bishop. Provenance Acquired by Arthur Gilbert from S.J. Phillips Ltd, London, 1994. |
| Summary | Throughout the 18th century, drinking vessels carved from the horn of the alpine Ibex (a wild goat species) were almost exclusively made at the court of the Prince Bishop of Salzburg, in present-day Austria. Ibex horn was a valuable commodity once thought to have aphrodisiac and poison-detecting properties. As a result, hunting ibex was the closely-guarded privilege of the Prince Bishop and many Ibex horn beakers were made as diplomatic gifts. Extensive Ibex hunting decimated its numbers to near-extinction in the 19th century. 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. |
| Associated object | LOAN:GILBERT.11:1-2008 (Pair) |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Other number | SG 189 - Arthur Gilbert Number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | LOAN:GILBERT.10:1-2008 |
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| Record created | June 27, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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