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Lot Essay
NAUTILUS SHELL CUPS
Silver-mounted nautilus shells were prized in Europe from as early as the 13th century, although evidence from church treasury inventories suggests that nautilus shells had already reached Europe by the ninth century (H. Mette, Der Nautiluspokal, Munich, 1995, p. 33). Transported through Asian and Middle Eastern trade networks, these exotic shells became increasingly available after European merchants established direct access to the Spice Islands. From 1602, the founding of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and its subsequent dominance over trade in the Spice Islands, effectively granted the Dutch a monopoly on the importation of nautilus shells, which were distributed across Europe by Dutch merchants to be mounted by local goldsmiths.
On the present nautilus, the arms of the Holy Roman Empire, lacking the escutcheon of the personal arms of the emperor, attest to the popularity of nautilus shells across Europe and especially in landlocked countries where they appeared as even more mysterious and exotic.
Maritime imagery became one of the defining artistic languages of the 16th and 17th centuries, reflecting Europe’s fascination with overseas exploration and global trade. Such iconography appeared widely in the decorative arts and quite naturally on objects made from marine materials like nautilus and turbo shells. In this context, it functioned as a symbolic reminder of the distant origins of these precious materials and of the global trade routes through which they reached Europe. Nautilus cups thus embodied both artistic invention and the growing awareness of the wider world, fostered by international commerce, reinforced here by the kneeling native figure, who symbolises the riches of distant lands.
Nautilus cups remain the most ambiguous drinking vessels. Dutch examples often have less invasive mounts which serve as a frame to present the exotic material, rather than the shell being an accessory to the silver work. German nautilus cups, on the other hand, have sturdier mounts to be used as drinking vessels, however, as most are unlined, they were likely intended purely as decorative objects for display. Here the iconography and coat-of-arms suggest that the nautilus cup was made in central Europe most probably for a princely collection.
Silver-mounted nautilus shells were prized in Europe from as early as the 13th century, although evidence from church treasury inventories suggests that nautilus shells had already reached Europe by the ninth century (H. Mette, Der Nautiluspokal, Munich, 1995, p. 33). Transported through Asian and Middle Eastern trade networks, these exotic shells became increasingly available after European merchants established direct access to the Spice Islands. From 1602, the founding of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and its subsequent dominance over trade in the Spice Islands, effectively granted the Dutch a monopoly on the importation of nautilus shells, which were distributed across Europe by Dutch merchants to be mounted by local goldsmiths.
On the present nautilus, the arms of the Holy Roman Empire, lacking the escutcheon of the personal arms of the emperor, attest to the popularity of nautilus shells across Europe and especially in landlocked countries where they appeared as even more mysterious and exotic.
Maritime imagery became one of the defining artistic languages of the 16th and 17th centuries, reflecting Europe’s fascination with overseas exploration and global trade. Such iconography appeared widely in the decorative arts and quite naturally on objects made from marine materials like nautilus and turbo shells. In this context, it functioned as a symbolic reminder of the distant origins of these precious materials and of the global trade routes through which they reached Europe. Nautilus cups thus embodied both artistic invention and the growing awareness of the wider world, fostered by international commerce, reinforced here by the kneeling native figure, who symbolises the riches of distant lands.
Nautilus cups remain the most ambiguous drinking vessels. Dutch examples often have less invasive mounts which serve as a frame to present the exotic material, rather than the shell being an accessory to the silver work. German nautilus cups, on the other hand, have sturdier mounts to be used as drinking vessels, however, as most are unlined, they were likely intended purely as decorative objects for display. Here the iconography and coat-of-arms suggest that the nautilus cup was made in central Europe most probably for a princely collection.