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Empress Elisabeth of Austria – a sumptuous seal made of
silver and lapis lazuli, Heinrich Jauner, imperial-royal court engraver,
Vienna, probably 1889
The intricately worked figure of the helmeted Pallas Athena in silver,
bearing Nike, the goddess of victory, in her right hand and holding a
spear in her left. The circular pedestal stamped with the hallmark of the
Vienna assay office for .800 silver, the base carved in blue lapis lazuli,
with the name “Elisabeth” inscribed around it in Greek. The seal
surface also made of silver, again with the mark of fineness and illegible
master’s mark, the deeply chiselled monogram “E” surmounted by the
Empress’ crown and a continuous meander frieze. Total height 16.3 cm.
In the original case of red morocco leather, lined in burgundy velvet and
silk, the lid bearing a gold embossed, double-headed eagle above
“Jauner - K.K. Kammer Graveur Wien Augustinerstr. 13”. Dimensions
of the case approx. 20 x 9 x 5.5 cm.
Exceptionally exquisite workmanship. The depiction of Pallas Athena
was modelled on the design by Theophil von Hansen for the Pallas
Athena Fountain in front of the Austrian Parliament Building in
Vienna. The entire parliament complex was designed by Theophil von
Hansen in 1870. The foundation stone for the parliament was laid in
1874, the building, in the style of an attic temple, was completed in 1883;
however the Pallas Athena Fountain was only erected 15 years later and
unveiled in 1902.
The acclaimed Danish-Austrian architect Theophil Hansen (1813-91)
moved to Athens in 1837, where he studied Hellenistic architecture and
designed the National Observatory, among other buildings. Brought to
Vienna by a banker, he designed the building that today houses the
Museum of Military History, becoming one of the most outstanding
proponents of Strict Historicism or Viennese style. Apart from the
parliament building, which opened in 1883, he achieved particular re-
nown for the building that is home to the Wiener Kunstverein, whose
Goldener Saal is still copied to this day on account of its superb acous-
tics. In 1863, Hansen was made an honorary citizen of Vienna; he was
subsequently awarded a knighthood in 1863 and a barony in 1884 by
Kaiser Franz Josef.
The Empress’ remarkable penchant for Greece and Greek mythology is
widely known. Following her first visit to Corfu in 1860, she repeatedly
spent time there until Kaiser Franz Josef finally purchased an old,
dilapidated villa in 1889, which she had converted into her “Achilleion”
between 1890 and 1892.
In actual fact, this seal may even have been presented to the Empress by
Theophil von Hansen, as he was familiar with the draft of the Pallas
Athena Fountain that had not yet been erected (identical except for one
small detail: the seal depicts Nike holding the laurel wreath aloft in both
hands, the later fountain only showed it in her left hand); but especially
because, in 1889, he was commissioned by the Empress, along with
Raffaele Carito (who was ultimately awarded the contract), to submit
his designs for the construction of her palace in Corfu.
246374
I - II
€ 25.000
6577