Ship (Nef)

ca. 1609–20

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 520

Called nefs in Old French, ceremonial centerpieces in the form of ships were developed in medieval France to mark a lord’s place at the table. In the German-speaking areas of continental Europe, variations doubling as drinking vessels (known as Schiffspokale) experienced a revival in popularity in the early seventeenth century. They were often used as wedding gifts to symbolize the couple’s safe journey through life. Zur Linden joined the Nuremberg goldsmiths’ guild as a master in 1609 and was the leading maker of inventive nefs like this one with its wondrous, embossed sea creatures amid the waves.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Ship (Nef)
Maker: Esias zur Linden (master 1609, died 1632)
Date: ca. 1609–20
Culture: German, Nuremberg
Medium: Partly gilded silver
Dimensions: wt. confirmed: 19 1/2 × 3 1/8 × 8 1/2 in., 26.453oz. (49.5 × 7.9 × 21.6 cm, 750g)
Classification: Metalwork-Silver
Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Object Number: 17.190.319
Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

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