Nautilus cup, Joachim Hiller, c. 1600
gilding, h 42.4cm × w 19.7cm × d 11.5cm More details
This nautilus shell has been cleverly used to represent the body of a realistically rendered ostrich. Ever since Classical antiquity this bird has been a symbol of virtue. Even though it cannot fly, it surpasses all other twolegged creatures in the speed with which it can run. Virtue thus always triumphs.