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Lot Essay
Rock crystal – a naturally occurring mineral – has been revered by all cultures since antiquity. In late mediaeval and renaissance paintings, objects that today are often thought to be glass were, in fact, made of rock crystal, and were symbols of enormous wealth and prestige.
The reason for this prestige was largely due to two factors: the first was that large specimens of rock crystal with few flaws – as in the present case – were relatively rare. The other factor was that the extreme hardness of the material meant that creating a work of art could only be achieved by the most highly trained artists. Rock crystal could not be carved in the same way that marble could be carved. Most of the finer detail needed to be ground and polished with special tools. The resulting costs involved in the sourcing and creating of these objects therefore meant that they could only be afforded by the wealthiest individuals.
Among the most important renaissance artists specialising in the creation of works of art in rock crystal, as well as other hardstones, were the Miseroni family. Originating in Milan, their work spanned several generations. Ambrogio Matteo Miseroni was a goldsmith and his sons Gasparo (1518 – c. 1573) and Girolamo (1522 - 1584) inherited his workshop and became highly skilled in the production of hardstone works of art. Gasparo is known to have worked for the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I as well as the Medici court in the 1550s. Gasparo’s sons transferred the workshop to Prague, and Ottavio (1567-1624) worked for both Ferdinand I and his successor Rudolf II, who ennobled Gasparo in 1608. The workshop continued in Prague until the death of Ottavio’s grandson Ferdinand Eusebius in 1684.
The present vase displays many of the characteristics of work created in Milan under the pervasive influence of the Miseroni family and was published by Letizia Arbeteta Mira in 2018 (loc. cit.). In her entry she notes that ‘the decoration follows the tripartite scheme typical of the Milanese school: upper and lower gadrooned bands that serve as a frame for a narrative scene which unfolds in the round’ (ibid., p. 250). As with most vases of the period, the present lot follows antique forms. It is comparable in its general composition to examples held in international museums such as an urn attributed to the Saracchi workshops, third quarter of the 16th century, in the Prado Museum, Madrid (inv. no. O 95, illustrated in ibid., fig. 5).
The reason for this prestige was largely due to two factors: the first was that large specimens of rock crystal with few flaws – as in the present case – were relatively rare. The other factor was that the extreme hardness of the material meant that creating a work of art could only be achieved by the most highly trained artists. Rock crystal could not be carved in the same way that marble could be carved. Most of the finer detail needed to be ground and polished with special tools. The resulting costs involved in the sourcing and creating of these objects therefore meant that they could only be afforded by the wealthiest individuals.
Among the most important renaissance artists specialising in the creation of works of art in rock crystal, as well as other hardstones, were the Miseroni family. Originating in Milan, their work spanned several generations. Ambrogio Matteo Miseroni was a goldsmith and his sons Gasparo (1518 – c. 1573) and Girolamo (1522 - 1584) inherited his workshop and became highly skilled in the production of hardstone works of art. Gasparo is known to have worked for the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I as well as the Medici court in the 1550s. Gasparo’s sons transferred the workshop to Prague, and Ottavio (1567-1624) worked for both Ferdinand I and his successor Rudolf II, who ennobled Gasparo in 1608. The workshop continued in Prague until the death of Ottavio’s grandson Ferdinand Eusebius in 1684.
The present vase displays many of the characteristics of work created in Milan under the pervasive influence of the Miseroni family and was published by Letizia Arbeteta Mira in 2018 (loc. cit.). In her entry she notes that ‘the decoration follows the tripartite scheme typical of the Milanese school: upper and lower gadrooned bands that serve as a frame for a narrative scene which unfolds in the round’ (ibid., p. 250). As with most vases of the period, the present lot follows antique forms. It is comparable in its general composition to examples held in international museums such as an urn attributed to the Saracchi workshops, third quarter of the 16th century, in the Prado Museum, Madrid (inv. no. O 95, illustrated in ibid., fig. 5).