The Orpheus Cup
1641–42, the jeweled elements on the lid in the form of animals, amorini holding bow and quiver, and the statuettes of Orpheus and Diana, Prague, ca.1600
Medium
Gold, cast, embossed, and engraved; enamel, ronde-bosse and painted; rubies
Dimensions
confirmed: 7 1/8 × 5 1/8 × 3 1/2 in. (18.1 × 13 × 8.9 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Gold and Platinum
Culture
Austrian, Vienna
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Acquisitions Fund, 2020
Accession Number
2020.400a, b
Art Historical Context
Behold the exquisite *Orpheus Cup*, a of 17th-centurynese goldsmithing crafted in 1641–42 by Johann Wilhelm Baur, Hans Bramer, Jan Verm, and an anonymous enamel painter. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative collection, this opulent vessel measures just over 7 inches tall and exemplifies the grandeur of Austrian Baroque metalwork. Its gold body, cast, embossed, engraved, is adorned with ronde-bosse and painted enamels, plus sparkling rubies, creating a dazzling interplay of color and texture. The lid's jeweled elements—animals, amorini bearing bows and q...
About the Artist
Johann Wilhelm Baur|Hans Georg Bramer|Jan Vermeyen|Anonymous Viennese enamel painter · 1607–1642
Johann Wilhelm Baur was a German draughtsman, painter, and printmaker who came of age in the early seventeenth century and built his reputation through the production of finely detailed illustrations and miniatures. Though the precise details of his training remain incompletely documented, Baur developed his skills in the tradition of German and Northern European graphic art, showing influences fr...