Memento Mori en cristal de roche Italie, XXe siècle, surmonté d'un ostensoir en filigrane et cristal de roche gravé, Italie, probablement XVIIIe siècle

An Italian rock crystal Memento Mori, part 18th century and later


The double faced crystal Memento Mori, 20th century, surmounted by a rock crystal oval medallion inscribed IHS for Jesus Hominum Salvator and with filigrane border, probably 18th century, on a serpentine columnar base, total height, 15cm (5 1/2in), height of the Memento mori, 10cm high (3 1/2in high)
Footnotes:
Rock crystal, transparent quartz, has always been one of the prized materials throughout the ages and has been attributed to it with magical, protective or curative properties. Since Antiquity it has been an important precious stone and has been used for the production of many types of objects. It is also given a symbolic force referring to the purity which is expressed in the production of liturgical objects or reliquaries. It was probably in the mid-16th century that sophisticated cut and engraved rock crystal objects were designed, and Milan gained international recognition as the main center of production.


Literature
D. Alcouffe, Les Gemmes de la Couronne, Paris, 2001, pp. 308-310 nos. 141-142.
Paris, Musée de Cluny, Voyage dans le cristal, 26 Sept. 2023 - 14 Jan. 2024, RMN, Paris, 2023.