Bowl (upper part of a tazza), ca. 1540–50
South German (Nuremberg?)
Boxwood and fruitwood
Technical Glossary
South German (Nuremberg?)
Boxwood and fruitwood
6 3/4 x 7 7/8 in. (17.1 x 20 cm)
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917 (17.190.643)
The virtuoso carving indicates that the bowl was likely conceived as a goldsmith's model or directly intended to exemplify artistic decorative woodwork in a Kunst- und Wunderkammer. The center medallion representing Roman Charity recalls the work of the Nuremberg painter and engraver Georg Pencz (ca. 1500–1550). The bowl was later remounted as a tazza.
