Tankard 1695 - 1700

This silver tankard was crafted by Jacobus Vander Spiegel, a silversmith active around 1700. Note the delicate motifs adorning its base—a series of stylized, teardrop shapes. This motif, echoing the ancient palmette, speaks to the enduring human impulse to find order and beauty in the world around us. Think back to the dawn of civilization: we see similar forms adorning the friezes of Greek temples and the pottery of ancient Egypt. What is it about this shape that resonates so deeply within us? Perhaps it evokes the rhythm of growth, decay, and regeneration, or mirrors the symmetry of nature. Centuries later, the palmette resurfaces in the Renaissance, a testament to its timeless appeal. Here, on this tankard, it is a quiet echo of those earlier forms, a ghostly reminder of the shared visual language that binds us across time. This tankard is not merely a drinking vessel but also a repository of cultural memory.