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This strange treasury item consists of a nautilus shell with finely carved vines and decoration, which is being held aloft by a grotesque figure.

The strange creature at the base is a dragon, whose body dissolves into a branch of coral. A turtle serves as a saddle for the masked figure riding the dragon.

Besides Johann Melchior Dinglinger, Johann Heinrich Köhler was the most sought-after court jeweller in Saxony, and he created this original piece out of various left-over objects in the Dresden treasury. August the Strong had instructed his court jeweller to inspect the historical collection in 1724. In very little time, Köhler and eight assistants restored 155 works for the planned treasury museum.

He created this goblet using braces and rods. For the base, he used a group dating from the 17th century. The bowl is a nautilus shell from Amsterdam. Köhler added a finely worked lip to the exotic goblet – showing his great skill as a goldsmith. Here, as well as in the braces and rods, the artist reproduces the grotesque figures and the vines we see on the nautilus shell.  The crowning detail of Köhler’s fantastic new creation, however, is the little winged dragon with an open mouth, who is seated on the tip.