Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Nautilus Cup
(Baroque Europe )
Shells of the pearly chambered nautilus were imported from the Indian and Pacific Oceans as natural marvels because of the lustrous beauty of the shell when polished and its amazing interior structure.
A luxurious drinking vessel for court feasts, this cup underscores the host's magnificence and power over nature. Goldsmiths designing the mounts for these shells gave free rein to their imaginations, fashioning figures such as Atlas, a legendary titan of Greco-Roman mythology, who was said to balance the heavens on his back. The artist playfully calls attention to the artful contradictions of the piece. Although the shell is very light, Atlas' muscles are flexed in strain.the graceful curved mount on the two sides of the shell is characteristic of goldsmiths in the province of Holland in the decade around 1600.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Caspar Bourgeois and Stephen Bourgeois, Cologne, by purchase; Sale, Cologne, October 19, 1904, no. 554; Raoul Heilbronner, Paris [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1908, by purchase, Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 1971-1972 | World of Wonder. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 10/1/1947 | Treatment | cleaned; coated |
| 4/5/1960 | Treatment | other |
| 9/23/1986 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 9/29/1986 | Treatment | cleaned; stabilized; loss compensation; coated; other |
| 2/9/1988 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 5/2/2005 | Treatment | cleaned; coated; other |
Geographies
Netherlands (Place of Origin)
Measurements
8 11/16 in. (22.1 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1908
Location in Museum
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
57.989