Centerpiece in the Form of a Galley in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, February 2020

Centerpiece in the Form of a Galley
late 16th century


Object Details

Title: Centerpiece in the Form of a Galley

Artist: Joseph Mayer

Date: late 16th century

Culture: German, Ulm

Medium: Silver (partially gilded)

Dimensions: 16 1/8 × 6 3/16 × 12 5/8 in., 2.9 lb. (41 × 15.7 × 32 cm, 1.3 kg)

Classification: Metalwork-Silver

Credit Line: Kunstkammer, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna


As early as the fourteenth century, small silver ships marked the sovereign’s place at the table during banquets, enclosing the cutlery and napkin to protect them from poisoning. Over the course of the sixteenth century, multifunctional trick vessels such as this one became popular. If a diner tried to drink from the blocked bow spout, the three deck cannons sprayed liquid onto his or her face—to the delight of the assembled company. The only way to successfully drink from the vessel is through a cannon on the stern.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/778005