Turned Cup with Stacking Bowls in its Case

South German, Berchtesgaden, 17th century

Turned maple, carved, punched, partly stained dark brown
Height of the case 27 cm

Hidden in the bowl of this seemingly fragile and slender cup are a variety of similarly thin stacking cups made of turned wood. Rarely have comparable works been preserved in such perfect condition together with their original protective container. Comparable objects include the turned cups from the Hessian Kunstkammer of the Landgrave in Kassel (today in the Museum of Hessian History) and from the royal Danish Kunstkammer (today in the National Museum in Copenhagen).