03 — ARTWORK
Ostrich Egg Standing Cup
UNKNOWN GOLDSMITH, German · 1580 →
- MEDIUM
- Ostrich egg, gilt silver, height 34 cm
- TYPE
- Other
PALETTE
HOVER OR TAP A SWATCH FOR NAME, SHARE AND HEX. SAMPLED FROM THE IMAGE — INDICATIVE, NOT A PIGMENT ANALYSIS.
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- FILE
- 540 × 1000 px · JPEG
COMMENTARY
UNDERLINED TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE GLOSSARY.
Along with the feathers of the ostrich, the great eggs of the flightless bird played an important role in the long-distance trade of the Middle Ages. Ostrich eggs found use in the secular world in the art and marvel cabinets of princes as well as in sacristies and reliquaries. In the present example, the Christian iconographyThe systematic study and identification of the subject-matter and symbolism of art works, as opposed to their style; the set of symbolic forms on which a given work is based. Originally, the study and identification of classical portraits. Renaissance art drew heavily on two iconographical traditions: Christianity, and ancient Greek and Roman art, thought and literature. pairs with the profane. Profane ornamentation dominates most of the silver mounting, however, the three brackets, with which the ostrich egg is bound to the foot, are decorated with miniatureTerm originally applied to the art of manuscript illumination but later used of paintings, usually portraits, executed on a very small scale. The earliest miniaturists (16th century) continued to use the materials of the illuminators, painting in gouache on vellum or card., winged angel heads. On the lid, a nest with three small ostrichs is portrayed.
CITE THIS RECORD — BIBTEX
@online{wga-rcfb6d960e546a2,
author = {Krén, Emil and Marx, Daniel},
title = {Ostrich Egg Standing Cup by UNKNOWN GOLDSMITH, German},
organization = {{Web Gallery of Art}},
date = {2026-09-13},
url = {https://beta.wga.hu/artists/unknown-goldsmith-german-r78a86c58e44850/ostrich-egg-standing-cup-rcfb6d960e546a2},
urldate = {2026-09-13},
langid = {english}
}ACCESSED 2026-09-13. REPLACE THE AUTHOR FIELD WITH THE COMMENTARY AUTHOR WHERE ONE IS NAMED.
