UNKNOWN MASTER, Italian
(active in 1500-1510 in Padua)

Toad

1500-10
Bronze, diameter cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

In the collections of the Renaissance period, which during the course of the 16th century developed into the famous "Kunst- und Wunderkammern" (cabinets of art and wonders), objects were combined which above all aroused astonishment whether they were of natural or artificial origins.

The present object representing a toad with a gaping mouth was cast from nature, it reproduces every detail down to the tiniest wart on its epidermis. Because the interior of the creature is hollow, it can be utilized as a container for writing-sand, which was needed for sprinkling over a recently written page so that the ink would dry more quickly.