Cup in the Form of an Owl

The small owl-shaped mug was made in an undefined Central European workshop around 1600. It comes from the Radziwiłł family treasury in Nesvizh. The bird’s body, made of a carved, gilded silver coconut shell, served as a wine drinking vessel, a removable head – lids, and the movable wings were probably used during games and jokes accompanying toasting. The popularity of dishes made of coconut, exotic in Europe, resulted from the belief in its healing properties, and above all neutralising poison, which persisted until the 18th century.

Animal-shaped cups gained particular popularity in the silversmiths of the 16th and 17th centuries, especially in the German-speaking area. Owls constitute the most numerous group among the few artefacts made of coconut. The mugs taking their form were also made entirely of silver, and they were also numerous in ceramics and glass. The symbolic meaning of the owl is not clear cut. On the one hand, it tempts to consume alcohol, by referring to the luring function of this bird during hunting at that time; on the other hand, it warns against the consequences of abuse, which results from the association of the effects of food poisoning with the mechanism of pellets being formed by owls from undigested food remains.