Ewer and stand (présentoir) 1758 Martin Gizl Austrian The hunting of the Alpine Ibex, an endangered wild goat species, was restricted to the prince-archbishops of Salzburg, and artworks made of Alpine Ibex horn were sent to foreign courts as diplomatic gifts. The ensemble refers to ibex horn in a pharmaceutical context; allegedly it possessed the ability to prevent poisoning and evil, as well as aphrodisiac properties and an intrinsic value worth its weight in gold. The manipulation of this delicate material thus represented mans conquest over nature, and depictions of the hunt as a courtly pastime dominate the decoration. The patron of the set, Count Philipp Carl von Seinsheim, was a nephew of four bishops of the Schönborn dynasty, the main art patrons of Franconia and the Rhineland in the 18th century.. Ewer and stand (présentoir) 239478