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Ewer and basin (lavabo set)

Probably made at Chisinau Court Workshop
ca. 1680–85
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 551
Uniting the ornate Northern Baroque floral style with the exotic shape of Islamic objects, this lavabo set reflects its unusual history. The coat of arms and initials are those of Ioan Serban Cantacuzino, grand duke and ruler of Wallachia (r. 1678–88). Its substantial weight of nearly ten pounds of silver suggests that it was intended for the dowry of his daughter, Cassandra, who married the Moldavian grand prince, Dimitri Cantemir (1673–1723), in 1699. Cantemir's attempt to liberate his country from the Ottomans in 1711 ended in disaster. The grand prince put his state under Russian suzerainty and went into exile in Russia. The ewer and basin are rare survivors, since most silver objects from the Balkans were melted down.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Ewer and basin (lavabo set)
  • Maker: Probably made at Chisinau Court Workshop
  • Date: ca. 1680–85
  • Culture: Moldovan
  • Medium: Silver, partially gilded
  • Dimensions: H.: 20 1/4 in., Diam.: 15 1/4 in., Wt.: 9.7lb. (51.4 cm, 38.7 cm, 4.4kg,)
  • Classification: Metalwork-Silver
  • Credit Line: Wrightsman Fund, 2005
  • Object Number: 2005.62.1, .2a, b
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Basin with tray, Elkington & Co. British, Silver on base metal, partly gilt, British, Birmingham, after Moldovan original
Basin with tray
Elkington & Co.
19th century, after 17th century original
Ewer, Elkington & Co. British, Silver on base metal, partly gilt, British, Birmingham, after Moldovan original
Ewer
Elkington & Co.
19th century, after 17th century original
Ewer, Samuel Margas Jr. British, Silver gilt, British, London
Ewer
Samuel Margas Jr.
ca. 1721
Rosewater ewer, Johann Erhard Heiglen German, Silver gilt, German, Augsburg
Rosewater ewer
Johann Erhard Heiglen
ca. 1730
Ewer in the form of an ostrich and basin, Marx Weinold German, Silver, partially gilded, German, Augsburg
Ewer in the form of an ostrich and basin
Marx Weinold
Johann Mittnacht I
ca. 1689–92

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