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Cameo with Noah's Ark
(Baroque Europe )
The style of carving, subject, and choice of stone point to Allessandro Masnago who worked in Milan around 1600, often on commission from the Emperor Rudolf II in Prague and from other courts north of the Alps. This piece is said to come from the collection of the dukes of Bavaria.
The artist was famous for exploiting the colors of semi precious stones for these tiny, precious narrative images that were so popular with collectors. This composition, featuring a line of animals on the gangway to Noah's ark, is based on a woodcut by the French book illustrator Bernard Salomon (ca. 1508-1561) and was a favorite of the artist's.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
SchatzKammer, Munich (?), 1619 [until the 18th century] [mode of acquisition unknown]; Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Germany; Rosenberg and Stiebel, New York [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase [through an agent in Germany]; Walters Art Museum, 1963, by purchase.
Exhibitions
| 1971-1972 | World of Wonder. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Geographies
Italy, Milan (Place of Origin)
Measurements
2 1/2 x 37 3/8 in. (6.4 x 95 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, 1963
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
42.1447