Ostrich
sculptor
Unknown
Date17th century
Place MadeGermany, Europe
MediumOstrich egg with silver mount
Dimensions45.5 cm (17 15/16 in.)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberM21w7
eMuseum ID720283
EmbARK ObjectID13391
TMS Source ID2339
Last Updated8/14/24
Status
Not on viewWeb CommentaryThis silver ostrich cleverly uses an ostrich egg--considered exotic materials by its German maker--as its body. One theory speculates that these types of vessels, who's heads are detachable, were used in a drinking game. Not only would the consumer have trouble ingesting liquid from the narrow neck, but the ostrich's wings would flap their face.
Isabella displayed two more ostrich eggs in the museum's galleries, although this is the only one with such remarkable craftsmanship and perhaps a history of practical jokes.
Isabella displayed two more ostrich eggs in the museum's galleries, although this is the only one with such remarkable craftsmanship and perhaps a history of practical jokes.
BibliographyNotesGilbert Wendel Longstreet and Morris Carter. General Catalogue (Boston, 1935), p. 181. (as probably German, 17th century or later)
Kaeley Ferguson, "Not Your Grandmother's Silver Cabinet," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 12 January 2021, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/not-your-grandmothers-silver-cabinet
Kaeley Ferguson, "Not Your Grandmother's Silver Cabinet," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 12 January 2021, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/not-your-grandmothers-silver-cabinet
MarksNotesInscribed (edge of the base): two indistinct marks, a hand and D L (?)
Inscribed (left leg): an unidentified coat of arms
Inscribed (left leg): an unidentified coat of arms
ProvenanceNotesEntered Isabella Stewart Gardner's collection at an unknown date. (as English)
