Tankard

Unknown

ca. 1600 · Silver gilt, coconut · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

The nutshell that forms this tankard would have been picked by workers in Southeast Asia or Melanesia, shipped to a European port city, and then sent inland to be ornamented by a German carver and goldsmith. This example features densely carved arabesques in a style adapted from contemporary Islamic metalwork. The lengthy journey undertaken by the raw material would have been appreciated by its owner, as despite the coconut’s foreign origin it was familiar even to those in the landlocked territories of the Holy Roman Empire by at least the thirteenth century.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1600

Medium

Silver gilt, coconut

Culture

German, Bamberg

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

The Lesley and Emma Sheafer Collection, Bequest of Emma A. Sheafer, 1973