Charger

Location: possibly Germany

Materials: rock crystal, silver-gilt and gold, opaque and translucent enamel, rubies, emeralds and diamonds

Dimensions: 55.3 cm (diameter) x 7.6 cm (height)

Accession Number: GER 883

Other Notes:

Inspired by pieces produced towards the end of the 16^th century in the Miseroni workshops in Milan, this charger is even more sumptuous than its prototypes, in both scale and lavishness of decoration. In the 19^th century version the jewelled and enamelled framework is more prominent, owing to an additional border and the larger number of supporting mounts required to hold the smaller-sized panels of rock crystal used.

The central composition, representing Moses rescued from the Nile, is based on the fresco designed by Raphael and probably executed by Giulio Romano in bay eight of the second Vatican Logge.

Bibliography:

Haydn Williams, Enamels of the World: 1700-2000 The Khalili Collections, London 2009, cat. 239, pp. 346–7.