Practice & Research

The Object

While I was in the Boijmans Museum for choosing 8 different objects to show Jon in the introduction week on the first day, I photographed these two items which I really liked. I thought that these objects were very interesting to know more about. When I saw it the first time, i had actually no idea what this could be. Maybe a sort of box? I could not read the drawings on this object very well. I could see that there were drawings, but not what they are about. Also the silverwork around the object was very shiny and detailed.

When I talked about this object with Jon he told me that this object was made out of coconut wood. I decided to do some research and this is what I found. This objects is called a 'kokosnootbeker'; a coconutcup, made by an unknown artist around 1550-1600. Apparently these coconutcups were often made around the 16th century. I found out that the Rijksmuseum has some of these cups too.

I wanted to know some more about the details of the object. On all coconut cups we can see carved images in the coconut wood.