Canalblog Tous les blogs Top blogs Mode, Art & Design Tous les blogs Mode, Art & Design
Editer l'article Suivre ce blog Administration + Créer mon blog
MENU
Alain.R.Truong
Publicité
Alain.R.Truong
Publicité
Visiteurs
Depuis la création 51 884 237
Publicité
Archives
Newsletter
Alain.R.Truong
Publicité
16 mars 2024

Bird, German, Nuremberg, ca. 1580, with later renovation

Bird, German, Nuremberg, ca. 1580, with later renovation
Bird, German, Nuremberg, ca. 1580, with later renovation
Publicité
Bird, German, Nuremberg, ca. 1580, with later renovation. Rock crystal, with gilded silver and rubies. Height (with base): 30.8 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917 (17.190.534a, b).
 
The coveted qualities of both natural wonder (naturalia) and fine craftsmanship (artificialia) are embodied in this hollow vessel. In the 1500s, rock crystal was priced at its weight in gold. The material’s extreme hardness allows it to be worked—cut, carved, or drilled—without shattering, while at its finest, as here, it is luminous and transparent. Through artistry, a pricey mass of heavy pure quartz has here been transformed into a seemingly weightless bird, complete with beady eyes of ruby and a collar and legs of gilded silver.
Commentaires
Publicité