An antique Wunderkammer Naturalia mineral specimen over carved wood base: cubic pyrite, desert rose and fluorite crystals, Italy 1880.

Italy circa 1880.

This Wunderkammer specimen represents a superb example of historic Italian craftsmanship and naturalistic collecting from the late nineteenth century. The pedestal maintains the classic chalice-like form of Neoclassical/Renaissance taste, carved in wood with a distinct foot, leaves in relief, and a smooth rim. The neck of the foot is painted in white. The crystal composition is made of cubic pyrite, desert rose, and fluorite. In 1880, displaying a composition in one’s palace that combined the geometric perfection of pyrite—which almost appeared hand-carved—with the delicacy of fluorite and the organic shapes of gypsum was a sign of profound culture, blending the allure of crystallography with the decorative magnificence of the Grand Tour. Italy circa 1880.

6,5” – 16 CM H 6” – 15 CM L 3,5” – 9 CM D

REF: V1520