Lot 96: CIRCLE OF MATTHIAS STEINL (C. 1643-1727)AUSTRIAN, CIRCA 1700

PAIR OF EQUESTRIAN GROUPS WITH AN OTTOMAN SULTAN AND AN EMPEROR ivory, on associated ebonised wood bases with ivory mounts Sultan: 17.6cm., 6 7/8 in. Emperor: 18cm., 7 1/8 in. bases: 5 by 16.3 by 7.6cm., 2 by 6½ by 3in.

Sotheby's, London, 6 July 2007, lot 91

What distinguishes these ivory horses is the fine ribbon-like treatment to the tails and manes, giving the impression of movement, exquisitely undercut in a medium that requires expert skill to carve. This attention to detail is epitomised in the work of Matthias Steinl, appointed ivory engraver to the Habsburg Emperor Leopold I in Vienna in 1688 and whose work undoubtedly influenced the present pair. Note, in particular, the two equestrian groups of the Emperor Joseph I dated 1693 and one of the Emperor Leopold I (1711-1712) conceived as memorials to be placed in the Imperial Treasury and now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. The choice of subjects is likely to reflect Austrian interest in the interaction between Europe and the Islamic World, following The Great Turkish War, which culminated in the Battle of Vienna in 1683, when the Holy Roman Empire inflicted a decisive defeat upon the invading forces of the Ottoman Empire. RELATED LITERATURE W.Seipel, Kaiserliches Elfenbein, Matthias Steinl (1643/44-1727) in der Kunstkammer des Kunsthistorischen Museums, Vienna, 2007