MISERONI, Dionysio
(b. ca. 1607, d. 1661, Praha)

Vase with lid (Maienkrug)

1639-40
Smoky crystal, gilt bronze and silver, partly enamelled, height 38 cm
Liechtenstein Museum, Vienna

Delight in glorious flower arrangements was expressed not only in painted still-lifes. Gem-cutters, too, strove to capture the beauty of nature using their precious materials. Bouquets of flowers were cut from various agates and displayed in Maienkrüge, usually lidless vessels used as vases. This Maienkrug, commissioned by Prince Karl Eusebius von Liechtenstein, was carved from a 14,5-kg block of smoky quartz. The vase bears the emblem of the House of Liechtenstein and the shield of the Duchy of Troppau.




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