Highlights

Description

Trompe l'oeil dishes were real eye-catchers on the courtly dining table. These dishes in the form of animals, vegetables or fruit were modelled deceptively real in faience or porcelain, painted and usually presented on a stand. They go back to an old custom: After roasting, wild boars' heads or whole turkeys were redressed in their fur or feathers and placed on the table. These showpieces were mainly used in hunting lodges. The heads of the boars are particularly drastic, as with this example here, with open mouth, large tusks and visible tongue. The skull cap is removable. The tureen was used to serve goulash or, as a special delicacy, pigs' brains.