The Rospigliosi Cup, (so called from the noble
Rospigliosi family) sometimes referred to as the Cellini Cup, is a decorative ornament in
gold and
enamel, previously attributed to
Benvenuto Cellini
Benvenuto Cellini (, ; 3 November 150013 February 1571) was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and author. His best-known extant works include the ''Cellini Salt Cellar'', the sculpture of ''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'', and his autobiography ...
(1500–1571), but now known to be an
art forgery, of nineteenth-century manufacture.
The Cup is believed to have been created by
Reinhold Vasters
Reinhold Vasters (2 January 1827 – 14 June 1909) was a German goldsmith. When a collection of his designs came to light some 60 years after his death, it became apparent that he had been a prolific art forger.
Early and private life
Vas ...
, a German
goldsmith who worked in
Aachen
Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...
from 1853 to 1890. Vasters is now believed to be the sole author of many pieces that had previously been attributed as masterpieces of
Renaissance jewellery.
So closely did Vasters' Rospigliosi Cup resemble Cellini's style, it is unlikely that the truth about the forgery would ever have been known, if Vasters' preliminary sketches had not been found. Vasters was a highly skilled
artisan, as well as a master of replicating another artist's style precisely. It was not until the Rospigliosi Cup was taken apart that it became clear that the cup had been assembled in ways that were not available until Vasters' own time.
The Cup is now housed at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York.
References
*Russell, John (February 12, 1984)
"As long as men make art, the artful fake will be with us" ''New York Times''. Retrieved on September 3, 2012.
External links
A photograph of the Rospigliosi Cupat the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Art forgeries
Artworks in metal
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