The Dutch Abroad and What They Brought Back, Nautilus Cups in Holland: East Embraced by West

John Walsh
Friday, March 31, 2017, 1:30 pm
During the Golden Age of Dutch prosperity and culture in the 17th century, silver- and goldsmiths from Florence to London supplied the ultimate luxury item to adorn their tables and shelves: shells of Nautilus pompilius-the famous chambered nautilus-turned into drinking cups held aloft in elaborate gilt-silver mounts. The shells, brought home by Dutch ships from the South China Sea, located 15,000 miles away, flaunted the worldwide mercantile prowess of the Dutch Republic, and Dutch painters made them star items in their still-life pictures. The cups are small masterpieces of sculpture that combine wit and craftsmanship to celebrate a wonder of nature. John Walsh, B.A. 1961, Director Emeritus of the J. Paul Getty Museum, in Los Angeles, looks at the amazing variety of surviving nautilus cups and suggests what-besides wealth-they may have signified for their owners.
Note: This lecture is the first in the series “The Dutch Abroad and What They Brought Back.”