Existing comment:
Turban Shell Cup with Foot in the Form of a Dragon
mid 17th century
German
The two shells used to fashion this cup originated in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. A spider conch was made into the base, its flesh replaced by sculpted and gilded silver to form a dragon. Turban snail shells like the one that forms the cup symbolized vanity, as the sea snail was forced to leave its stunning home behind after death. Interpretations like this were part of Renaissance understandings of nature, and many persisted in the cultural consciousness well into the seventeenth century. |