Ewer Crowned with a Putto
about 13509 1/2 x 4 x 4 7/16 in. (24.13 x 10.16 x 11.27 cm)
Creation Place:
Paris, France
Medium:
Rock crystal, with gilded silver mounts (Nuremberg, Germany, about 1540)
Credit Line:
Bequest of Charles Phelps Taft and Anna Sinton Taft
Accession Number:
1931.223
Currently on View in:
Tiny Treasures (4)
Exhibition History
Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft Museum of Art. Art and Fashion of the Renaissance, October 4–November 30, 1946.Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft Museum of Art. A Fortune in Fantasy: A Treasury of Rare Decorative Arts, November 21, 1985–January 19, 1986, no. 85.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (During TMA renovation) November 27, 2001–August 13, 2003.
Cincinnati, Ohio. Taft Museum of Art. In a New Light: Treasures from the Taft, July 3, 2021–May 1, 2022.
Gallery Label
Rock crystal—a type of colorless quartz—has long been valued for its purity and its beautiful simplicity. To create this ewer, a medieval stonecutter carved a single block of rock crystal into this vessel, a task that required great skill. Nearly two hundred years later, a Renaissance goldsmith from Germany added the metal mounts, heightening the allure of this fragile precious mineral. The wide horizontal band at the top shows birds and grapevines, while the domed foot depicts winged putti.
Provenance
Acquired by Charles Phelps Taft [1843-1929] and Anna Sinton Taft [1850-1931], Cincinnati, OH; donated to the Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts, Cincinnati, OH, May 21, 1927 [1]; transferred to the Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, OH, September 1, 2006 [2]. Notes:
[1]. The Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts (CIFA) was formed by Charles Phelps and Anna Sinton Taft on March 22, 1927 as a non-profit corporation to stimulate the development of art and music in the City of Cincinnati and run the Taft Museum of Art, which opened in 1932. The Tafts offered $1 million for a permanent endowment fund, on the condition that the community raise $2.5 million in matching funds, which was achieved by December 3, 1928. [2]. Until August 31, 2006, the Museum was owned by CIFA, administered by CIFA’s Board of Trustees, and governed by the Taft Museum Board of Overseers. On September 1, 2006, the Museum legally separated from CIFA and began operations as its own incorporated 501(c)(3) entity. This separate incorporation led to the transfer to the separate entity after August 31, 2006 of all tangible assets comprising the Taft collection.
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