Images(4)

Centerpiece with Silver Mounts and Coat of Arms

Maker Harry Powell (British, 1853 - 1922)

Collections

ClassificationsDECORATIVE ARTS

Date1906

MediumGlass and silver mounted to a wooden base

Dimensions15 × 10 × 10 in. (38.1 × 25.4 × 25.4 cm.)

DescriptionOne of two centerpieces from a very grand table service commissioned by Count Lionel Hirschel de Minerbi for the Ca' Rezzonico Palace in Venice, Italy.

Credit LineThe Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Purchased with funds from the Art Collectors' Council, James F. and Anne Rothenberg, Nancy Berman and Alan Bloch, MaryLou Boone, Hannah and Russel Kully, R. Carlton and Laura Seaver, Janet and Alan G. Stanford, and George Abdo and Sara Campbell

Status

On view

Label TextThis centerpiece was part of a grand table service of 465 pieces commissioned for Ca’ Rezzonico palace in Venice, Italy, by a member of the Italian Parliament, Count Lionel Hirschel de Minerbi. With its unique design characterized by simple forms and sinuous lines, this object by British glass designer Harry Powell is at the forefront of Art Nouveau (“New Art”) design. At the turn of the 20th century, artists felt the desire to create objects that would elevate people’s existence with beauty and harmony. This centerpiece is a splendid example of Art Nouveau’s sinuous flowing line considered a metaphor for artistic freedom.

Object number2014.16