Crab on a base with heads of children and lions' paws
On loan to The Met
This work of art is currently on loan to the museum.The object was probably a quill holder. The crab, shown walking with raised pincers, was presumably cast from nature. It has been plausibly suggested that Ludovico del Duca made the piece for his Innsbruck employer, Archduke Ferdinand II, whose astrological sign was Cancer.
Artwork Details
- Title: Crab on a base with heads of children and lions' paws
- Maker: Ludovico del Duca (died after 1601)
- Date: late 16th century
- Culture: Italian
- Medium: Bronze
- Dimensions: 5 7/8 in. (15 cm)
- Classification: Sculpture-Bronze
- Credit Line: Lent by The Hearn Family Trust, 2003
- Object Number: L.2003.60
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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