The Cardinal of Lorraine’s nef
Hans Rappolt goldsmith (before 1563 - after 1623)
Circa 1579
Nautilus shell, engraved and gilded silver
Basilica of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port
In France, the nef was an emblematic part of royal tables from the Middle Ages right up until the Revolution. These were ceremonial pieces worked in gold in the shape of ships. They could store the personal items guests might use during the meal such as cups (as in the miniature by the Limbourg brothers), or napkins (the coronation banquet of Charles VIII in 1484).
In the Holy Roman Empire (present-day Germany), the nef had assumed a completely different role by the end of the 16th century. It had become a key element in many drinking games that were very popular across the Rhine. These automated nefs were fitted with wheels and/or spring mechanisms so they could be moved up the table, stopping randomly in front of one of the guests who would then be invited to drink the wine they contained.
The Cardinal of Lorraine’s table nef, equipped with four large, moving wheels, falls into this category. It is decorated with many characters, placed on top of the mast or on the bridge. Among them we can make out: a cardinal (sitting at the back alongside two halberdiers, a man also sitting on a chair at the foot of the mast, and two other characters (one is playing a flute while the other is chopping a branch with an axe). A man is firing a musket at the front of the boat. He is joining in the fun of the game by keeping the potential drinker in check as drinking nefs included small conduits which meant the wine would be drunk while being nose to nose with the shooter!
Of German origin, this drinking nef bears the hallmark of Hans Rappolt, a renowned goldsmith working in Nuremberg from 1579. We can trace it from the 19th century when a Monsieur Butte from Nancy bought it from a Parisian bric-a-brac shop. The art-lover’s collection was then put up for sale on November 10, 1851. At this point it was acquired by the priest from the parish of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port who added it to the basilica’s treasury. It was restored in the workshop of Henri Bossert, a Nancy goldsmith, in 1892. When an inventory was made of the treasury in 1905, the nef was missing (stolen?) and only reappeared in 1931, in private possession. There is no absolute proof it was ever in the old treasury of the basilica as it does not appear in the inventories of 1603, 1715 or 1737. This remarkable piece was presented at the Universal Exhibitions of 1889, 1900 and 1937.
FOR KIDS
The table nave you are looking at was used as a drinking game at the end of the 16th century.
Its wheels and spring mechanism enabled it to move forward and stop in front of a random guest who had to drink the wine contained inside!