Rock crystal vase Rock crystal vase A rock crystal vase is a vase made of rock crystal, a type of hardstone carving. Such vases were rare, expensive, and decorated with gold and jewels, used by royalty in Europe. A rock crystal vase that probably originated in the seventh century was given to William IX of Aquitaine (the Troubadour) by a Muslim ally (probably 'Abd al-Malik Imad ad-Dawla). When Eleanor of Aquitaine, William IX's granddaughter, married King Louis VII of France in 1137, she gave him the rock crystal vase as a wedding present. The inscription on it says he, in turn, gave it
A Boyar Wedding Feast A Boyar Wedding Feast Konstantin Makovsky was a Russian realist painter who opposed academic restrictions. His paintings venerate Russia's old world customs. "A Boyar Wedding Feast" is painted as a scene from the seventeenth-century – depicting the old way of Russian life, bringing back memories of the cherished past. "A Boyar Wedding Feast" is an oil on canvas painting measuring , set in either the 16th or 17th century, in which a room of guests are depicted toasting a newlywed couple. A traditionally offered boyar wedding toast is meant to encourage the first kiss to make the wine sweeter. The