Lot n° 136
Estimation :
6000 - 8000
EUR
Result without fees
Result
: 6 000EUR
Rare openwork copper tray decorated with satyrs' heads amid - Lot 136
Rare openwork copper tray decorated with satyrs' heads amid foliage. In the center, laurel wreaths, fruit garlands and the doge's coat of arms.
Andrea Gritti (1455 - 1538).
Venice, circa 1500.
D. 61.5 cm
Andrea Gritti was born in Bardolino near Verona in 1455. He was elected doge in 1523 and died in 1538. Born into a wealthy merchant family, he moved to Constantinople in 1476, where he developed a thriving commercial business. He became ambassador of the Republic of Venice to the Sublime Porte. After the discovery of messages informing Venice of Ottoman moves to prepare a war between the two nations, he was imprisoned and returned to Venice in 1503. He became a military leader and recaptured Padua, but was taken prisoner at Brescia in February 1512. He was sent by the French to Amboise and Blois, where he met Louis XII, Louise de Savoie and the future François
I. He was elected doge in 1523. His governance was marked by a desire for cultural renewal and innovation, supporting artists in both painting and literature. He died after 15 years of reign in 1538.
16th-century Venetian production in the decorative arts is well known. The reputation of Murano glass and enamelled pieces is fully justified. However, although found in the collections of major museums, brassware is less well known. This beautiful openwork tray, close to a work of goldsmith's art, can be compared with other pieces with similar decoration. The Victoria and
Albert Museum holds two objects decorated with masks from which sinuous scrolls emerge: a brazier (inv n° 7786-1863) (fig a) and a brazier lid (inv n° 7845-1861) (fig b).
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