تفاصيل

M-395d

Sculpture of Ostrich

Gilt brass, hollow ostrich standing on a circular base with flowers, foliage, a snail and a snake cut in relief. Three silver toads attached to base. Ostrich has silver horseshoe in beak. Ostrich's back has a removable, push-fit cap about 5 cm in diameter. Three holes in cap and another between ostrich's legs.Top holes could have been used to mount an ostrich egg, but this does not explain the hole between the legs. Perhaps the ostrich had a rider on its back, and the lower opening was either a winding hole for clockwork or the collar of a push-rod that moved parts of the rider up and down. This table ornament is very similar to German clockwork automata from about 1560.

Unsigned.

c. 1560-1600

gilt copper, silver

Germany

	Imperial(in)		Metric(cm)
Height			32
Width			13.1
Depth			22.3
Diameter
Circumference

	Imperial(in)		Metric(cm)
Height
Width
Depth
Diameter