Art Institute of Chicago
Nautilus Shell Cup
Possibly Augsburg (now Germany)- Date
- c. 1600 (mounts altered 1800s)
- Medium
- Nautilus shell, ink, and gilded silver
- Culture
- Augsburg
- Department
- Applied Arts of Europe
- Institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
During the Age of Discovery, European artists were inspired by the exotic materials suddenly available to them. Goldsmiths seized on the opportunity to include wondrous and seemingly magical materials—including coconuts (see the Coconut Cup ), ivory, ostrich eggs, and, in this case, a nautilus shell from the Indian Ocean—into works of art that celebrated both nature and artifice. These types of object were also popular with collectors during the 19th century, when the mounts on this cup were reworked.
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- Object type
- AAT300411548
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