Knottedoos op drie bolpoten. Zijkanten gegraveerd met bladslingers en dierfiguren; op het deksel twee handen en een door twee pijlen doorboord hart.

About this artwork

height 5 cm x diameter 5.5 cm x weight 105 gr

Art Historical Context

the Dutch Golden Age, silversmiths such as Alger Mensma produced small silver containers for private use, often as gifts that marked affection or personal bonds. This box, made sometime between 1625 and 1674, carries an emblem on its lid of two hands flanking a heart pierced by arrows, a motif that would have signalled loyalty or union to those who exchanged it. The cylindrical body sits on three small spherical feet that lift it just above the surface, while engraved leaf garlands and running animals circle the sides in a continuous band. The contrast between the raised, polished lid and the finer, recessed lines below draws the eye around the form rather than letting it rest on any single face. Now in the Rijksmuseum, the piece is fashioned entirely in silver and measures only five centimetres high. Look closely at the heart on the lid, where the two arrows cross inside the outline; the engraver has left the metal bright at those points so the symbol catches light differently from the surrounding hands and foliage.