Madonna and Child in the Clouds

As if by a miracle of nature the shape of the madonna emerges from the cloudy coloured agate. The heavenly apparition on the one hand gives the impression of having been hidden in the stone from the beginning, while on the other hand it is just in a process of materializing. The natural material appears self-creating, the artists hand merely setting the figure free for the eye to behold. Gem cutter Masnago who mainly worked for Rudolph II and many of whose works are preserved in the Vienna collection, was famous for his sensitivity in using the veining of agate which resulted in this striking identity of nature and figurative form. This cameo is already mentioned in Morigias Nobilità di Milano of 1595 as one of Masnagos works. The precious setting is by Jan Vermeyen.