Rijksmuseum

Table ornament

Date

1549

Medium

silver (metal)

Institution

Rijksmuseum

This table ornament is an ode to the Earth and all that it brings forth, as well as an unsurpassed display of artistic and technical skill. The stem of the dish represents Mother Earth. She is surrounded by flowers, herbs and small animals – all cast from specimens collected in the wild. The lives of actual animals were sacrificed to model the young grass snakes and lizards.

The authoritative record is held by Rijksmuseum. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.