Nautilus cup
A pearly shell from the Indian Ocean mounted in gilt silver.
Nautilus cups were cabinet pieces uniting nature and art. Seafaring Dutchmen obtained the shells from the East Indies. Examples are in the Rijksmuseum, the Green Vault in Dresden and the Nationalmuseum.
Materials: Nautilus shell, silver gilt
Manufacture: The shell’s outer layer was etched away to reveal the mother-of-pearl; the silver raised and cast for foot and mount.
The mother-of-pearl of the shell, often engraved with figures.
The mount of sea creatures – mermaids, dolphins, Neptune.