A SILVER-GILT, GOLD AND ENAMEL-MOUNTED AGATE CUP

The carving and mounting of hardstones has long been regarded as one of the most difficult, and highly prized, expressions of artistry. This was especially the case in the late 16th and 17th centuries when members of the royal houses of Austria and Germany feverishly collected, and commissioned, artists to produce virtuoso works of art in exotic materials for their kunstkammer collections. The purpose of these collections was to enhance the fürstliche Reputation und Zier (princely reputation and decoration) as well as the intellectual understanding of the natural world. Through the carving, mounting and subsequent observation of wondrous natural elements such as rock crystal, coral and agate, these collectors felt as if nature, and indeed the universe itself, could be categorised and shaped by mankind.