Monstrance thumbnail 1
Monstrance thumbnail 2
Not on display

Monstrance

about 1760 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Monstrance, silver-gilt, set with garnets, seed pearls, topazes and crystals. The monstrance slots together in three sections (the top section which holds the Host comprises two embossed plates pinned together); the cross on the top is a later addition. The clip in the circular window which displays the Host is in the form of the 'IHS' monogramme; the window itself has bunches of grapes and vine stems on either side of the lower part, and a Rococo canopy above. Above the canopy are rocaille motifs and an undulating section which forms the summit. On either side of this are loops in scrolling Rococo form. Below is a triangular section with a scroll work border, embossed with rocaille scrolls and plain scrolls. The knop of the stem is of flattened, baluster, shape. The overall shape of the foot is oval, but it has the curved lines of a late-seventeenth-century cartouche. It, too, is embossed with scrollwork as well as two four oval medallions. The one embossed on the front depicts the Virgin of Sorrows, an arrow piercing her heart. The one on the back depicts St Helen, holding a cross. The two on either side are filled with a diamond-shaped pattern. The front of the monstrance is set with semi pecious stones: these are set along the main outlines of the window and canopy and form sprays above and below the window. The scrollwork on the front of the foot is also outlined in semi-precious stones. The back of the monstrance is embossed with scrolls, shell and rocaille motifs. A rectangular door behind the window, with a gently curving frame, opens to allow access to the window. On the front, the monstrance is missing pearls and 4 stones, as well as a section of the decorative element applied to the proper right side (two empty pin holes are visible). There are three other empty pin holes on the back right side.

Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
silver-gilt set with garnets, seed pearls, topazes , and crystals.
Brief description
Silver-gilt, set with garnets, seed pearls, topazes, and crystals, Austria (Vienna), mark for 1764-95; maker's mark 'I K', the initials separated by a pellet in a shield-shaped punch, unidentified.
Physical description
Monstrance, silver-gilt, set with garnets, seed pearls, topazes and crystals. The monstrance slots together in three sections (the top section which holds the Host comprises two embossed plates pinned together); the cross on the top is a later addition. The clip in the circular window which displays the Host is in the form of the 'IHS' monogramme; the window itself has bunches of grapes and vine stems on either side of the lower part, and a Rococo canopy above. Above the canopy are rocaille motifs and an undulating section which forms the summit. On either side of this are loops in scrolling Rococo form. Below is a triangular section with a scroll work border, embossed with rocaille scrolls and plain scrolls. The knop of the stem is of flattened, baluster, shape. The overall shape of the foot is oval, but it has the curved lines of a late-seventeenth-century cartouche. It, too, is embossed with scrollwork as well as two four oval medallions. The one embossed on the front depicts the Virgin of Sorrows, an arrow piercing her heart. The one on the back depicts St Helen, holding a cross. The two on either side are filled with a diamond-shaped pattern. The front of the monstrance is set with semi pecious stones: these are set along the main outlines of the window and canopy and form sprays above and below the window. The scrollwork on the front of the foot is also outlined in semi-precious stones. The back of the monstrance is embossed with scrolls, shell and rocaille motifs. A rectangular door behind the window, with a gently curving frame, opens to allow access to the window. On the front, the monstrance is missing pearls and 4 stones, as well as a section of the decorative element applied to the proper right side (two empty pin holes are visible). There are three other empty pin holes on the back right side.
Dimensions
  • Maximum height height: 46cm
  • Maximum width width: 23.5cm
  • At base depth: 16.3cm
  • At base width: 18cm
  • Weight: 1168.3g
Marks and inscriptions
Three marks, all stamped on the upper rim of the base at the back of the monstrance. From left to right, these are: Indistinct punch mark, probably the Viennese hallmark for the period 1764 to 1795, indicating silver with a content of 15 loth and therefore with a minimum fineness of 937 parts per 1000. For the mark, see Rosenberg:1928, IV, no. 7858. For the loth as an Austrian unit of weight, see Koeppe: 2010, p.90. Austrian duty mark of 1806-1807 for largework, indicating tax already paid on the piece. See Rosenberg: 1928, IV, no. 7875. Maker's mark I K, the initials separated by a pellet, in a shield-shaped punch. Unrecorded in Rosenberg: 1928.
Historical context
.
.
Bibliographic references
  • Rosenberg, Marc. Der Goldschmiede Merkzeichen. 3rd edn. Frankfurt am Main, Frankfurter Verlags-Anstalt a.-g., 1922-28, 4 vols, IV: Ausland und Byzanz.
  • Koeppe, Wolfram. Vienna circa 1780. An Imperial Silver Service Rediscovered. Catalogue of the exhibition held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 13 April - 7 November, 2010 and the Liechtenstein Museum, Vienna, 2 December 2010 - 26 April, 2011. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2010. ISBN: 9781588393685.
Collection
Accession number
M.3-1971

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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