080094 EX Viennese Art: Rock Crystal Objects in the Kunstkammer of the KHM (2023S)

Since ancient times, rock crystal has been a sought-after material for making pious, beautiful and magical objects of art. Pliny the Elder's idea that rock crystal was formed by the petrification of ice was supplemented in the Middle Ages by theological exegesis, the assumption of medicinal effects and allegorical attributions. The quartz stone thus acquired an aura of divine healing power, its clarity was understood as an expression of virtue, and it was attributed with powers ranging from health-promoting to apotropaic. Large flawless crystal pieces were considered particularly precious - they were selected and artfully shaped into the desired form, their surfaces elaborately decorated and polished, and set in precious metal settings. The knowledge of the lengthy and difficult work processes was a well-kept secret of the various workshops that emerged at different epochs and in very different places between Egypt and Scandinavia, Rome and Cologne, Venice and Milan. From antiquity to the early modern period, transparent objects adorned festive tables and princely treasuries, were passed on as diplomatic gifts or as pious endowments, and thus announced the magnificence of their owners.

In this course, we will set out on the traces of the rock crystal objects in the Kunstkammer of the KHM against the backdrop of pre-modern rock science and current research. We will practice precise description taking into account the material and also ask questions about collecting, the meaning and the function of such objects - and incidentally have the opportunity to get to know the Kunstkammer as a place of collection.