Sea Unicorn

Sea Unicorn, probably Frankfurt am Main, 1st Quarter of the 18th Century. Baroque pearls, gold, enamel, gold-plated silver, diamonds, rubies. H 9.0 cm, width 5.3 cm, depth 3.6 cm. Green Vault, VI 81 f. © Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden

As the entry in the inventory of 1725's gems to be found, was originally located on the back of the sea unicorn "a geflugelt emaillirtes Kindgen whose body of a bead." The elegant sea creatures intricately intertwined with the tail fin is the equivalent of the elephant seal with the wings of Cupid (VI 81 d), there are many references to the. Two mythical animals is associated with an enamel plaque on the base, which shows a mythological love story and at the same time addresses the element of water. In the case of sea-unicorn approaches Perseus on his winged horse Pegsasus to save the Andromeda chained to a rock in front of the approaching sea monster. The composition has striking similarities to a 1624's painting of Adam Willaert on (Lübeck, St. Annen-Museum) in the representation of the three main characters. The action takes place there, but in a sprawling coastal landscape in place while the protagonists are closer together on the small surface of the base plate. For the dissemination of the subject of the grotesque hybrid creatures, which are mounted by small, fortified cupids that appeared in Nuremberg in 1610 was "Neuw grotesques book" of the Nuremberg goldsmith Christoph Jamnitzer crucial. The fantastic sea-monsters can be found at this time about as ornaments on silver-powered vessels or determine the outer shape of animal-faceted drinking vessels, as it has created in greater numbers as the Leipzig Goldsmith Elias Geyer.
Source: http://www.alaintruong.com/archives/2013/08/26/27899124.html