Hexagonal Bottle with Cover
second half of the 16th century
Object PlacePrague, Bohemia
Medium/TechniqueRock crystal with enameled and nielloed gold mounts
Dimensions31.8 x 11.7 x 8 cm (12 1/2 x 4 5/8 x 3 1/8 in.)
Credit LineGift of John Goelet in memory of Walter Muir Whitehill
Accession number1978.388
On View
On viewClassificationsDecorative arts
Collections
In the sixteenth century, Milan emerged as the leading center for carving and engraving rock crystal, an extremely hard and colorless variety of quartz. This bottle is engraved on all sides with airy, symmetrical decorations inspired by ancient Roman fresco painting. The oval cartouches at the center frame figures who represent heavenly bodies: Apollo (the sun), Diana (the moon), Venus, Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter.
ProvenanceUntil 1970, Arturo Lopez-Willshaw; October 13, 1970, Lopez-Willshaw Sale, Sotheby & Co., London, lot 30, sold to Mr. John Goelet, New York; 1978, gift of Goelet to the MFA. (Accession Date: October 18, 1978)
about 1410–20
about 1300-1350 and 1541
about 1755–60
about 1755–60