Twee zilveren en vergulde bokalen uit de zeventiende eeuw, Bautzen 1869 - 1887

These two silver and gilded goblets were crafted in seventeenth-century Bautzen. The cup on the right catches the eye with its pinecone-shaped bowl, a form that reaches back to ancient symbols of fertility and immortality. Consider how this motif has traversed time. The pinecone, a symbol of enlightenment, appears atop the staff of Osiris in ancient Egypt, and in Roman culture it adorned the thyrsus of Bacchus, a symbol of divine ecstasy. In these goblets, the pinecone's presence is not merely decorative; it speaks to a deeper longing for renewal, a visual echo resonating through centuries. The artisan, perhaps unknowingly, taps into a collective memory. Just as a dream can unearth forgotten emotions, these goblets awaken a primal connection to symbols that transcend time. The cyclical nature of the symbol is undeniable, constantly resurfacing, ever-evolving, and forever captivating our imagination.