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Exhibited by Kollenburg Antiquairs

Material Agate, carnelian, and gilt bronze

Dimensions 33 cm x 17 cm

Place of Creation St. Petersburg

Price Upon request

Status Vetted

About the Work

A pair of very rare agate coupes with pronounced gilt bronze mountings. The coupes each stand upon a round foot with a classic decoration of stylised acanthus leaves in rectangular cartouches all around. The upper section of the foot curves slightly inwards and incorporates a round plateau of blue agate upon which stands the stem. The point where the stem meets the plateau is decorated with a gilt bronze ornament in the shape of dependent acanthus leaves. Sprouting forth from this mounting, the baluster-shaped, blue agate stem is decorated by further gilt bronze mountings at the top. These carry the lobed, oval coupes, which are carved from red patterned agate. A bronze band with floral patterns runs around the entirety of the coupes. Attached to these on either side are elegant firebirds with open beaks and outstretched wings, their long curled tails following the contours of the coupes’ undersides to lean upon the bronze mountings below the coupes. These phoenixes, who give the impression of having been captured mid-flight, appear to bear the coupes aloft. The upper section of each coupe is covered by an openwork lid that extends into a second broad band at the top, which mimics the decoration of the band around the coupes. Above this, the lids are sealed by a carnelian disc, surmounted by an agate fruit topped with palm leaves and a half-open flower bud.

The carved agate coupes are good examples of recycling. They were probably produced in the east of what is now Germany, in the seventeenth century, and would most likely have been mounted at that time as well, using silver or gold mountings depending on the dictates of the currently prevailing fashion. Rare objects such as these were subsequently recycled to fit later fashions, resulting in new, exclusive objects.

One of the defining characteristics of paired agate objects was their extreme rarity. This was due, not only to the mineralogical character of the stone which is difficult to find in homogenous blocks, but mostly to the tremendous risk of fractures when attempting to carve the material to such a degree of fineness. It was extremely difficult to obtain two pieces of similar size, and the fact that these two objects can be displayed as a pair is therefore an exceptional achievement. The luxury agate objects form a link between science and visual art: they not only display the mineral and its geological properties, but also draw attention to its beauty, which – through the manner of its working and the purpose assigned to it – serves both to fulfil a functional need and to exhibit its aesthetic qualities. The bronze mountings provide the “stage” for the material to shine on, and accentuate the stone’s natural beauty.

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