Lidded Cup with Ostrich Egg, Augsburg, ca. 1570/75, Clement Kicklinger (Meister 1561 - 1617 Augsburg). Ostrich egg, coral, silver, partially gilded and painted. H. 56,8 cm. Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Kunstkammer, 897. © KHM-Museumsverband.

This display piece shows an ostrich on a coral base, carrying on its back its own, enormous egg. The African who leads it on a chain emphasizes the exotic origin of the natural object, which enjoyed high regard as a curative, between medicine and magic. The horseshoe in the bird’s beak refers to the ostrich’s purported ability to digest even iron.