A silver gilt mounted agate bowl
Chased, melted, engraved and gilded silver. Agate cut and polished
Germany, circa 1660
H: 5,5 cm L: 9,3 x 12 cm
Literature:
Il Tesoro dei Medici al Museo degli Argenti, 2009, n° 209-215, pp. 290-292.
Hans Haug, L’orfèvrerie de Strasbourg dans les collections publiques françaises, 1978, n° 51.
Description
The piece consists of an oval cut and polished agate bowl with an engraved and gilded silver frame. The two handles are carved with foliage and foliage, a decoration inspired by plants that can be found on works executed in Strasbourg at the end of the 17th century.
This type of cut is more decorative than utilitarian. Many examples in agate, jasper and rock crystal, from the Florentine collections of the de Medicis family, attest to the passion for these stones in various shades, set in silver or enamelled gold frames.
