A rare pair of mother-of-pearl powder horns.

The turbo shell bodies with registers around the top composed of applied mother-of-pearl forming an arcaded design, the tops with rosette motif leading to knop finials with silver stoppers attached to the body with a chain, one with belt attachment loop on the body

One of the most prized exotic materials to feature in the princely Kunstkammern were the shells of the turbo snails. Found in the Indian and Pacific oceans, the natural shiny and iridescent surface of the shells made a vivid impression on 16th and 17th century collectors as these were truly objects from another world. They were highly prized in the west so that they were mounted up in silver and silver gilt, sometimes very elaborately, to create "nautilus cups".

Gujarat, India, 17th/18th century