Provenance:
Private Collection, Indianapolis, Indiana. 
Acquired by the present owner, 28 August 1983.

The egg of the ostrich is the largest of any living bird and has a long history of human use. Since as early as fourth millennium B.C., ostrich eggs were used for their food and emptied shells as containers. During Europe's Age of Enlightenment these eggs were considered luxury items with symbolic meaning and often decorated for display in cabinets of curiosities.