| Artist | |
|---|---|
| Culture | Italian |
| Date | early 16th century |
| Object type | relief |
| Medium, technique | rock crystal, in silvered copper background |
| Dimensions | 11 × 8 × 3,5 cm |
| Inventory number | 79.2 |
| Collection | Sculptures |
| On view | Museum of Fine Arts, Second Floor, European Sculpture 1350-1800, Gallery 2 |
Active in Venice, Padua, and Verona, Giovan Giorgio Lascaris was a sculptor of Greek origin who adopted the name of Pyrgoteles, a legendary gem engraver. It was recorded by Pliny the Elder that Pyrgoteles was the only gem carver permitted to execute Alexander the Great’s portrait in emerald. In 16th-century Venice, precious stone carving was revived under the influence of antique gems. Lascaris was not only a sculptor but also, a gem engraver. He carved in rock crystal the classicising bust of a woman seen in Budapest. In contemporary Venetian painting and sculpture, we find several ideal portraits where the identity of the subject or the theme is unknown. The rock crystal relief in Budapest is one of these.
Miriam Szőcs
Balogh, Jolán – Szmodisné Eszláry, Éva, Katalog der ausländischen Bildwerke des Museums der bildenden Künste in Budapest, 4.-18. Jahrhundert, Bd. 3. Neuerwerbungen, Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1994, p. 32., no. 5.
Szmodisné Eszláry, Éva, A Régi Szoborgyűjtemény kincsei, Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest, 1994, p. 22, ill. 16.
Szmodisné Eszláry, Éva, The treasures of the Old Sculpture collection, Szépművészeti Múzeum, Budapest, 1994, p. 22.
The Museum of Fine Arts Budapest: guide, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, 2006, p. 140, no. 184.
This record is subject to revision due to ongoing research.
