Nautilusbokaal, rustend op de rug van een man die gebukt staat 1548

This nautilus cup design was created by Balthazar van den Bos in the 16th century, likely intended for silversmiths to follow. He made it using etching, a printmaking technique that renders incredible detail. Notice how the cup seems impossibly top-heavy. This is no accident. The natural, organic form of the nautilus shell has been elaborated with classical imagery. We see Neptune at the apex, surrounded by cupids and grotesque masks. This is elevated above a figure of a man straining under the weight of the vessel. This design reflects the social status of those who owned such objects. These were luxury items, meant to convey power and prestige. Consider, too, the immense labor required to harvest the nautilus shell from the sea, and the high level of skill to work it into such an elaborate form. Van den Bos is not only showing us an object, but also commenting on a whole system of production and consumption. He wants us to consider the relationship between the man supporting the cup, and the god that sits atop it.