Engraved rock crystal bowl mounted in enameled gold - Lot 11

Engraved rock crystal bowl mounted in enameled gold The back of the rock crystal bowl is carved with webbed and forked paws and surmounted by a long-necked dragon head. The engraved decoration depicts a seahorse ridden by a woman and a battle of men, tritons and mermaids with sea monsters. Milan, late 16th century H. 23.5 cm; L. 24 cm Provenance Ezra & Cecile Zilkha Collection, New York Comparative bibliography Daniel Alcouffe, Les Gemmes de la Couronne, Paris 2001, no. 113, p. 262. Letizia Arbeteta Mira, El tesoro del Delfín, Madrid 2001, pp. 197-199 & 274-275. Paola Venturelli; Il Tesoro dei Medici al Museo degli Argenti. Oggetti preziosi in cristallo e pietre dure nelle collezioni di Palazzo Pitti, Florence 2009, no. 702, pp.125 & 228. Condition: bowl broken or cracked in three places; base cracked with mount replaced. Long-necked dragon heads, extended by paws or wings carved into the crystal mass, were a recurring motif in the production of Milanese lapidary workshops in the 16th and 17th centuries. Engraved decorations of marine scenes, combining divinities, human figures and fabulous creatures, can also be found on several Milanese rock crystal pieces dating from the third quarter of the 16th century. These include works in the Musée du Louvre (inv. MR 319), the Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid (inv. MNAD 228 and 392), the Museo degli Argenti in Florence (inv. Gemme del 1921), the Metropolitan Museum in New York (inv. 04.6.33), and the Al Thani Collection (inv. ATC 198).