Tankard

ca. 1600

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 520

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.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Tankard
Date: ca. 1600
Culture: German, Bamberg
Medium: Gilded silver, coconut
Dimensions: Overall: 6 3/8 × 4 3/4 × 3 in. (16.2 × 12.1 × 7.6 cm)
Classification: Metalwork-Silver In Combination
Credit Line: The Lesley and Emma Sheafer Collection, Bequest of Emma A. Sheafer, 1973
Object Number: 1974.356.764
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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