Nereid with a clam. Silvered bronze, Nuremberg? Probably 16th-17th century

Overall 27.5 x 20 x 13.5 cm Bronze 15 x 11.5 x 8 cm On a non-contemporary base.

The bronze presented here depicts a forked mermaid astride a dolphin. Balancing on her head is the valve of a clam.

The bronze statuette, originally silver-plated, now has a splendid black patina beneath which the sheen of the silver shines through, intact.

One cannot fully understand the spirit of the Renaissance without understanding the Wunderkammer. Natural and man-made wonders were displayed to arouse wonder. Goldsmiths, embracing this spirit, created works that incorporated natural objects, such as rare shells, into imaginative mythological compositions.

Nereids and tritons in gold and silver supported Nautilus shells studded with diamonds, emeralds, and rubies. Kept in the cabinets of curiosities of European rulers, they often served as diplomatic gifts.

The Medici and German courts compulsively collected these wonders, a sign of a power that was celebrated with the refinement of art.

Among the goldsmiths, those of Nuremberg and Augsburg excelled, particularly the workshops of Jamnitzer and Gross. A basin made from clam shells and nereids by the latter is housed at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

That said, I venture that our bronze may belong to that world. An intriguing piece of jewelry suspended between nature and artifice.

Bibliography:
Archduke Geza von Habsburg, Treasures of the Princes, Silvana Editoriale, 1997, pp. 55, 81, 98, 128, 150, 207.

Hugh Honour, Goldsmiths and Silversmiths, Arnoldo Mondadori publisher, Verona, 1972, pp. 80, 86.

Manfred Leithe-Jasper und Rudolf Distelberger, Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Philip Wilson Publishers Ltd, 1982, p.102."