Wunderkammer: Cabinet of Curiosities
'Rooms of wonder' showcase a collector's knowledge of the world
Equestrian statuette of Gustavus II Adolphus of Sweden
c.1635RCIN 35456
It is not known for certain when this statuette first entered the Collection but in 1821 it was recorded as being delivered to Carlton House with a group of Kunstkammer works that were part of Queen Charlotte's collection at Buckingham House.
The head of the horse is detachable so that the figure can act as a drinking vessel. It is in the tradition of the zoomorphic cups usually associated with hunting, which were produced in large numbers in Augsburg and Nuremberg in the seventeenth century. These objects were rarely used as drinking vessels and were essentially intended as items for the buffet or as table decorations.