This is an updated version of an earlier post, first published on this site on 7 October 2014
An outstanding object in the wonderful Gilbert Collection of the V&A caught my eye as curator Heike Zech and assistant curator Melodie Doumy took me around the storage facilities while the galleries are being renovated. My own research concerns the early modern Kunstkammer and this wondrous object made me think that in essence it could embrace many of the complex ideas behind a cabinet of curiosity of the early modern period.
This remarkable gold beaker, created over 300 years ago, is covered with a rich imagery of natural wonders, interlaced with scenes from classical mythology and history. The function of the beaker was to mesmerise, delight and impress rather than for actual use.
The beaker was made during the first quarter of the seventeenth century, and must have been considered an incredibly extravagant showpiece despite its simple silhouette. It is the materials, decoration and craftsmanship which speak for the object’s exceptionality. To make a vessel entirely of gold was enormously costly, so only a wealthy patron could afford such a beaker. The enamelled depictions of the natural wonders, carefully arranged on the surface of the vessel, and of the framed mythological stories are of extraordinary beauty and execution.
The enamelwork is of a type developed during the Middle Ages, called basse-taille. It is created by engraving the metal ground, which is subsequently filled with powdered glass fused to the metal surface at high temperatures. This process creates a colourful decoration that is level with the gold surface of the beaker, almost as if inlaid. Since enamel is very fragile, there are some losses which reveal both the complexity of the technique and the mastery of the maker.
The name and origin of the maker is unknown since the beaker is unmarked. High quality enamelwork required the skills of especially trained craftsmen who developed designs, mainly with inspired by prints. The designs for the flowers, plants, animals and insects depicted on this gold beaker must have been based on such sources. These would have been part of a burgeoning European print culture which represented and disseminated designs, depictions of wonders of natural history, and illustrations for classical stories. These subjects reflected the early modern craving for knowledge, especially among the learned elite.
Each frame consists of a different composition of identifiable flowers such as passion flower, daffodils, and lilies, blue bells, tulips among many others.
The insects and animals are also easy to identify: butterflies, snails, tortoise, grasshopper, caterpillar, lizard, beetles, and a spider inhabit the golden surface.
Imagery
The three figurative scenes, inspired by classical mythology and Roman literature, were easily recognisable to educated contemporaries. The first oval depicts the story of Andromeda, who, chained to a rock, awaits Perseus’ arrival on his winged horse, Pegasus, to save her from the attack of a sea monster. This motif was extremely popular in art. For instance, in the former Danish Kunstkammer, there is a small-scale sculpture of Andromeda carved from a piece of red coral, as well as this remarkable Bohemian cut crystal relief and Flemish print, both in the V&A collection.
The second oval shows the ill-fated lovers Pyramus and Thisbe from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Shakespeare’s famous interpretation of the story in A Midsummer Night’s Dream was performed for Queen Elizabeth I on 1 January 1605, not long before this beaker was made. Here, Thisbe is seen taking her own life after finding her dead lover, Pyramus, under a mulberry tree. Pyramus in turn had taken his life believing Thisbe dead. The story plays with the detrimental, even fatal consequences of misunderstandings and unfortunate timing on love, a theme that rings as true today as in early modern times, when it was a popular motif which can be seen in examples of this maiolica plate in the V&A collection.
The third oval depicts a less well-known scene, most likely the Roman Marcus Curtius, who according to legend sacrificed himself to save his city. In 362 BC, a chasm opened in the Forum after an earthquake. To appease the wrath of the gods, Marcus put on his armour and bravely rode into the burning pit. This scene was also used in many other materials at the time, for example in a superb and exceedingly dramatic sculpture carved from ivory for the de’ Medici collection now in the Museo degli Argenti in Florence, and from the V&A’s collection, this agate cameo pendant, exemplifies other objects illustrating this popular motif during the early modern period.
All three scenes allude to love, virtue, and morality – topics which are here connected to the contemporary quest to understand nature, depicted in the most precious materials and with great attention to detail. This decoration was designed to be viewed and appreciated at close distance, most likely in a Kunstkammer or a pretiosa cabinet.
Object: LOAN: GILBERT.28-2008, The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Dr Lisa Skogh, V&A Research Department