A drinking tool at the sea

Nautilus goblets appeared in Europe in the mid-16th century, and certainly couldn’t have appeared earlier. They are based on the shells of nautiluses, or snail polyps, which live in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific, so they were not known to exist in Europe before the great voyages of discovery. The nautiluses, which had existed on Earth in an unchanged form for millions of years, were finally “”given”” a new form by the master carvers. The precious metal cups that enclosed the shells remained popular for centuries, although they were not used for drinking. They functioned more as works of art and investments, as well as representing the wealth and aesthetic sensibilities of their owners. (Béla Schaffer: A Floral Still)

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