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Lot Essay
Sets of beakers were frequently commissioned by aristocratic Hungarian families. The chased wavy lines, made using an "S"-shaped punch, created a decorative effect unique to 17th-century Hungarian silver. Judit H. Kolba identifies the technique as "fleecing," referring to the decoration's stylized resemblance to a lamb's coat.
Similar beakers are in the collections of the Museum of Applied Art in Budapest (inv. no. 64.307), and the Hungarian National Museum (inv. no. 1949.353-355). Another example, bearing an inscription dated 1656 and with an unknown maker's mark, was in the collection of Nicolas M. Salgo, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (see Baroque Splendor: The Art of the Hungarian Goldsmith, 1994, pp. 49-50, and Judit H. Kolba, Hungarian Silver: the Nicholas M. Salgo Collection, 1996, p. 64).
A very similar beaker was sold as part of the Collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, Christie's, Paris, 24 February 2009, lot 161.
Similar beakers are in the collections of the Museum of Applied Art in Budapest (inv. no. 64.307), and the Hungarian National Museum (inv. no. 1949.353-355). Another example, bearing an inscription dated 1656 and with an unknown maker's mark, was in the collection of Nicolas M. Salgo, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (see Baroque Splendor: The Art of the Hungarian Goldsmith, 1994, pp. 49-50, and Judit H. Kolba, Hungarian Silver: the Nicholas M. Salgo Collection, 1996, p. 64).
A very similar beaker was sold as part of the Collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, Christie's, Paris, 24 February 2009, lot 161.