2-721-308 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Nautilus shell mounted in silver gilt, 1613, (1881). Etching of a cup made from a shell by Nicolaas van der Kemp, Utrecht, Netherlands, early 17th century. Nautilus shells were imported from Indonesia (Ambon Island) by Dutch traders from 1609 onwards. The outer layers were stripped away and the shells were carved by Chinese craftsmen before export. This example was restored in the nineteenth century: the triton figure, rim- and strap-mounts are replacements. From "The South Kensington Museum", a book of engraved illustrations, with descriptions, of the works of art in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London (formerly known as the South Kensington Museum). [Sampson Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington, London, 1881]