Antiquitas Hungarica
The Grimani Jug

ID-Number: AH-1
Collection: Museum of Fine Arts, Collection of Classical Antiquities
Inventory: Hu-SzM-Ant-56.11.A
Former Collections: Hungarian National Museum; The Fejérváry-Pulszky Collection; The Grimani Collection, Venice
References: Liber Antiquitatis p. 18
Provenance: presumably from Greece
Artist: probably Corinthian
Material: bronze
Technique: hammered and casted
Dimensions: H. 31,2 cm
Iconographical elements: Silenos; siren

One of the most valuable pieces in the Collection of Classical Antiquities had been acquired by a prestigious Venetian family, the Grimanis, between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, presumably from Greece. What had been one of the oldest and largest collections in Venice was sold off by the impoverished descendants of the family in the late 1820s. Gábor Fejérváry, who amassed the most significant private collection of ancient art in the 19th century in Hungary, and his nephew, Ferenc Pulszky, later director of the National Museum, purchased the jug in Milan in 1833. It was only acquired by the National Museum after Pulszky's death, and thence by the Museum of Fine Arts. Greek bronzeworkers also produced water vessels (hydria) and wine jugs (oinochoe) for banquets similar to pottery vases. Whereas in the sixth century B.C., the bodies of the vessels were frequently cast, later they were hammered from sheet metal. The latter technique enabled craftsmen to produce individual pieces, although they generally used conventional decorative motifs. In all probability, the Grimani jug, this masterpiece of bronzeworking, was produced in one of the major metalworking centres of the age, Corinth, at the height of classical Greek culture, circa 450 B.C.
As the Greeks believed that they would also attend banquets in the afterlife, their tombs often contained vessels they might need for these occasions. The Grimani Jug, which has survived intact for thousands of years, was probably buried deep in a grave shortly after its production, in order to accompany its owner into the realm of Hades. This time, Silenos is partaking in revelry, where music comes from unworldly spheres.

Bibliography: M. Dági, in A. Czére (ed.): Museum of Fine Arts Budapest - Masterpieces from the Collection, Budapest 2006, no. 12.

Last modified: 2012-04-02 17:13:57


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