Vessel in the form of a dragon

anonymous, c. 1625 - c. 1650

The dragon shape of this vessel alludes to the special powers ascribed to rock crystal: it was thought to change colour or crack when it came into contact with poison. Dragon blood was considered the deadliest substance known to man. The dragon, which now somewhat resembles a crocodile, originally had wings.

  • Artwork typedecoratief object
  • Object numberBK-17121
  • Dimensionsheight 19 cm x width 60.5 cm x depth 14.5 cm, width 25 cm x depth 13 cm

Identification

  • Title(s)

    Vessel in the form of a dragon

  • Object type

  • Object number

    BK-17121

  • Description

    Beeld van bergkristal met een montuur van goud met email en robijnen, voorstellende een draak. Het dier ligt op zijn vier poten met opengesperde bek. De vleugels ontbreken.

Creation

  • Creation

    • maker: anonymous, Italy
    • maker: anonymous, France

  • Dating

    c. 1625 - c. 1650

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Material and technique

  • Dimensions

    • height 19 cm x width 60.5 cm x depth 14.5 cm
    • width 25 cm x depth 13 cm

This work is about

  • Subject

Acquisition and rights

  • Copyright

    Public domain

  • Provenance

    …; collection Hermitage, Petersburg, 1915;{Note RMA; Starye Gody December 1915, image after p. 10.}…; collection Dr Fritz Mannheimer (1890-1939) Amsterdam and Paris, 1936;{Von Falke 1936, p. 56, no. K.109.} purchased from his estate, en bloc, by the Dienststelle Mühlmann, The Hague, for Adolf Hitler's Führermuseum, Linz, 1940;{Korthals Altes 1974, pp. 21-22.} war recuperation, SNK, 1945;{HNA, SNK Archive, 2.08.42, inv. no. 548.} on loan, with 1,702 other objects, from the DRVK to the museum, 1952;{Note RMA.} transferred to the museum, 1960

  • Remarks

    Please note that this provenance was formulated with a special focus on provenance research for the years 1933-45 and could therefore be incomplete. There may be more (mostly earlier) provenance information known in the museum. In case this item has an uncertain or incomplete provenance for the years 1933-45, the Rijksmuseum welcomes information and assistance in the investigation and clarification of the provenance of all works during that era.

Documentation

Persistent URL

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