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On 16 April 1529 Federico II Gonzaga, First Duke of Mantua (1500-1540), apologised to his uncle Alfonso d’Este for retaining Titian: perché ha conienzo un retratto mio qual molto desidero sii finito (because he has started a portrait of me which I greatly desire to be finished). In 1530 a second portrait of Federico in armour is also recorded. Typologically and conceptually, the present por
An outstanding work in Francesco Furini’s oeuvre and one of the most sensual and morbid of all Italian Baroque paintings, Lot and his daughters, c.1634, depicts the Old Testament story of Lot (Genesis 19:30-38), who escaped the destruction of Sodom thanks to a warning from the angels charged with its obliteration. Lot’s wife, who failed to obey their order not to look back, was turned into a pilla
This footed tray is a presentation salver that forms a pair with O-60 of the Dauphin’s Treasure. Both are made from a single piece of lapis lazuli. It has a round, flat-bottomed bowl, low sides and a short turned stem resting on a small foot. A silver mount runs around the rim. Its profile, simple as it is, points to a work made in Milan, perhaps close to the Miseroni. It bears the hallmark, IR, o
Florentine Mosaic is a technique in which semiprecious stones are cut and assembled so that their different colors and grains form a pictorial composition. This term reflects the fact that the technique emerged in 16th-century Florence with a degree of perfection that has since been equaled, but never surpassed. Its origins undoubtedly lie in classic mosaic—Roman opus sectile—as the technique is e
This case takes the form of the vessel for which it was made, a Lapis lazuli goblet with dragons and children (O2). The exquisite pieces from the Dauphin´s Treasure are complemented by the custom-made cases that match the shape of each and allow them to be safely transported and counted, as each can be recognized by the contours of its corresponding box. Their wooden structures are lined with wool
This vessel had a pair, now lost (I1416), which must have been very similar and by the same hand as O37, the work of the silversmith Pierre Ladoyreau or Ladoireau, who made part of the silver furnishings at Versailles. It comprises two pieces of red jasper and two large mounts with twenty cameos. The body is in the form of a bowl with a diminished arch profile, a round mouth, and a lobulated ring
The pair of a vessel stolen in 1918, this is one of the few pieces which still preserve work by Pierre Ladoyreau or Ladoireau, one of the great master craftsmen of the 17th century in France, who designed furnishing and bronzes for the palace and gardens of Versailles. It is made up of two pieces of stone, sixteen cameos and three large enamelled gold mounts. The decoration of the mounts, similar
This table`s exquisitely made top is based on a painting by Charles-Joseph Flipart (1721-1797) which is also in the Prado (P07824). The central scene depicts figures in a port, of which the two in the oriental style are based on works by Giambattista Tiepolo. The table was made by Italian craftsmen summoned to Madrid by Charles III to establish the Royal Hardstone Laboratory.
This table has the image of a painting of a seascape and its frame, back to front, as well as playing cards, various chips, a ruler, a hammer, a compass and other carpentry tools, two buckles, a key ring and various drawings over a touchstone or black Belgian marble background. The representation of the images is directly based on famous compositions by French painter Joseph Vernet (1714-1789), wh
A table with two images of paintings (a seascape and a landscape) on a background of touchstone or Belgian black marble. Various books, a checkerboard, a small cup and a bag have been haphazardly arranged around them. The representation of the images is directly based on famous compositions by French painter Joseph Vernet (1714-1789), whose work was much appreciated by Charles III and Charles IV.
This tabletop forms a pair with O00467. Both were made at the Royal Manufactory founded by Charles III in Naples in 1737. This piece of ebony furniture made by Gaspero Donnini has heads carved by Giovanni Morghen at its four corners. They allude to the four seasons. The legs end in horse´s hooves as part of an elegant naturalist décor, which is repeated in the decoration of the top, with ab
Commissioned by Pedro Tellez Girón, Duke of Osuna and Viceroy of Sicily (1574-1624). The German artist Jacopo di Gian Flasch made the Duke’s coat of arms, and Jacopo Ligozzi, the designer of the Florentine Grand-ducal hardstone workshops, the flower-filled vases.
This is rare type of tabletop that combines Roman Mannerist elements such as the border with pre-Baroque ones such as the exuberant floral and foliate motif that fills the centre. This motif replaces the central alabaster oval to be found in other compositions.
The coffer is a key item in any study of French silverware and European collecting. Initially part of Cardinal Mazarin’s collection, on his death it was sold at auction, subsequently being acquired by the Grand Dauphin. The gold crafting links this piece to a group of works associated with the so-called Maestro of Dragons, Pierre Delabarre, a Parisian silversmith who qualified as a master craftsma
Mutilated during the Peninsular War and the robbery of 1918, the volumes of this vessel can now only be appreciated from the case and a historic photograph. It is notable both for the stone used, heliotrope, and for the important enamelled gold mounts which substantially enriched its design. It consists of an oval body with a deep boat-shaped profile and eight large waves or gadroons. It has a dom
