Existing comment:
Nautilus Cup with Female Figure
1588
Bartel Jamnitzer
In 1588, Landgrave William IV of Hesse-Kassel purchased this pair of nautilus cups made by the nephew of famed goldsmith Wenzel Jamnitzer. The shells themselves may have been decorated in China for export or in a European workshop in imitation of Chinese style; European rulers valued the skill of foreign craftsmen. The mounts play on the origin of the nautilus shell in the sea: A Triton and a Nereid serve as supporting figures and the cups are crowned by Neptune riding a snail. Intact pairs of vessels like these rarely survive.
Nautilus Cup with Male Figure
1588
Bartel Jamnitzer
In 1588, Landgrave William IV of Hesse-Kassel purchased this pair of nautilus cups made by the nephew of famed goldsmith Wenzel Jamnitzer. The shells themselves may have been decorated in China for export or in a European workshop in imitation of Chinese style; European rulers valued the skill of foreign craftsmen. The mounts play on the origin of the nautilus shell in the sea: A Triton and a Nereid serve as supporting figures and the cups are crowned by Neptune riding a snail. Intact pairs of vessels like these rarely survive. |