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Original fileVasa a Polydor (...)
About This Work
You are looking at a design for an elaborate ornamental ewer, characterized by its dramatic Mannerist handle and intricate relief carvings. The central section features a frieze of muscular classical figures in conversation, while the lower portion is dominated by a lion's head spewing fruit and foliage. This print served as a model for goldsmiths and as a collector's item for those curating cabinets of curiosity.
Produced by Aegidius Sadeler, the court engraver to Emperor Rudolf II, this print represents the 'Artificialia' (man-made wonders) prized in the Rudolfine court. The court in Prague was a major center for alchemy and natural philosophy, where such objects were studied as expressions of human mastery over matter and the imitation of nature's hidden forms.
Inscriptions
POLYDORVS DE CARAVAGIO IN 4 CVM PRIVIL S. C. M.tis ROMA
Translation
POLYDORVS DE CARAVAGIO IN 4 WITH PRIVILEGE OF HIS SACRED CAESARIAN MAJESTY ROME
Connected Texts
Rudolf II
The Holy Roman Emperor who patronized Sadeler and whose 'Wunderkammer' integrated Mannerist art with alchemical and scientific inquiry.
Polidoro da Caravaggio
The original designer of the vessel, whose antique-inspired motifs were central to the visual language of the Renaissance revival.
Provenance & Source
Object
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
paper
height 233 mm x width 159 mm
decorative
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3-flash-preview on April 2, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.