Karl Rössler
Austria, Vienna, late 19th century
Lot Closed
January 17, 02:53 PM GMT
Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
A large hardstone, silver and enamel cornucopia, Karl Rössler, Vienna, late 19th century
the detachable domed lid surmounted with a figure of Diana holding her two hounds on a lead, on a circular base decorated with enamelled flowers and translucent green enamel grass, within white enamel border and scalloped rims, on a ground inlaid in slightly graduated bands of lapis lazuli, the body decorated with vertical inlaid bands of lapis lazuli alternating with silver sleeves decorated with a lion hunt, a bear hunt to first band, an ostrich hunt and a stag hunt to the second sleeve, and a stag hunt and a boar hunt to the third band, all in enamel, each hunter using different utensils and most of them blowing a hunting horn, within enamelled oval scrollwork frames above brightly enamelled cornucopia to lower corners, a classical foliage and a mask in translucent and opaque enamel to front and back side, the tip of the horn terminating in a griffin's head, supported on the back of an eagle with spread wings and widely opened beak, perched on an enamelled rock decorated with blue and white Alpine gentian, on an oval waisted lapis lazuli-inlaid foot with a scalloped silver rim, resting on four realistically-modelled rams heads applied on pierced enamel scrollwork, maker‘s mark, Vienna control mark, in original fitted velvet-lined leather case
85.5cm. high, 32cm. wide, 17cm. deep
Karl Rössler entered into business in Vienna in 1890 and is recorded at a number of addresses until 1908. Following the example of Hermann Ratzersdorfer, whose enamel and mounted crystal objects had attracted much attention at the 1873 Vienna World Exhibition, Rössler specialised in 'Antique-Imitation' (Haydn Williams, Enamels of the World 1700-2000, The Khalili Collections, London, 2009, no 240). While it has traditionally been claimed that the work of Rössler and that of his contemporary Hermann Böhm lack the finesse of the objets d'art by Ratzersdorfer, in favour of a dramatic first impression, the present lot certainly proves otherwise. Despite the impressive size, the craftsman did not rely on the effect created by vivid enamelling and the inlaid lapis lazuli ground alone. While the composition is surprisingly balanced despite the substantial weight of the lid decorated with the goddess of the hunt, each openwork silver sleeve is also decorated with a different type of hunt and huntsmen, dressed accordingly and equipped with different hunting tools, such as a rifle, a bow and arrow, a spear etc., while one might have expected a repetition of the same scene, given that Rössler and Böhm are also known to have re-used pre-fabricated elements for other centrepieces. The present lapis lazuli hunting is also one of the largest Viennese Prunkstücke recorded.
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