Artwork Page for Nautilus Cup

Details / Information for Nautilus Cup

Nautilus Cup

1607
maker

Cornelis Jansz van der Burch

(Dutch, active in Delft, d. 1615)
Culture
Netherlands, Holland, Delft
Medium
Silver-gilt, nautilus shell
Measurements
Overall: 33.3 x 10.6 x 20.1 cm (13 1/8 x 4 3/16 x 7 15/16 in.)
Weight: .74 kg
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 2023.154
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
213 Dutch Painting
Print
?

Did You Know?

The nautilus is a marine mollusk that swims by expelling water from its shell using jet propulsion.

Description

Nautilus shells were brought to the Netherlands from Indonesia. Skilled Dutch silversmiths mounted them in silver, creating luxurious vessels that were sought after by wealthy collectors. Early Dutch nautilus cups are mainly associated with the city of Delft, although only a few other examples made in Delft are known from the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. They feature the dramatic motif of a sea monster’s head.
Nautilus cup featuring gold detailing of a lion-like head bearing its teeth as it curves in over the cup's opening, a person standing on a sphere on top of its head. The gold details the striated, iridescent nautilus shell, a shell spiraling under lion-like head before curving down and up into an opening rimmed with a pointed, gold edge. A multi-layered, gold, circular base narrows into a neck with serpent-like creatures facing out around it.

Nautilus Cup

1607

Cornelis Jansz van der Burch

(Dutch, active in Delft, d. 1615)
Netherlands, Holland, Delft

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

    Contact Us

    The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

    To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

    All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.