gilt silver mounting, rock crystal, garnets, of round form, rock crystal cup with ten facets and round cut decoration, nodule in pomegranate shape, the body with 5 applied gilt silver rosettes with painted garnets, rim with painted garnets and finely engraved animal motifs (hare, deer, wolf, fox), rock crystal socket cover with finial, gilt silver mounting, height 20.8 cm, gross weight 349 g, master’s mark “B”, city mark of Freiburg in Breisgau, c. 1600, (Lu)

A museum-quality rock crystal goblet in outstanding condition. In the early modern period, Freiburg im Breisgau was famous for the processing of semi-precious stones. Besides agate and, subsequently, garnet, rock crystal was the most important material used for the production of artworks. The raw crystals used to be sourced almost exclusively from the Swiss Alps. The present rock crystal cup is extremely rare and important as an unequivocal work from Freiburg.

Provenance:
Albert Pollak Collection (1878-1943), Vienna;
Confiscation of his collection by the Gestapo in 1938;
Seizure and safekeeping of the collection in the depot of the Central Office for the Protection of Monuments 1939;
Confiscation of all assets by the Gestapo 1940;
Transfer free of charge to the Joanneum, Graz 1942 (inventory number 25,843);
Restitution to the legal successors according to Albert Pollak on April 13, 1951;
Forced reassignment to the Joanneum Graz;
Restitution to the legal successors of Albert Pollak on October 12, 2021.