Silver Nef By Berthold Muller

An elaborate silver nef by Berthold Muller; the twin masted nef with a crew of 8 and resting on elaborate wheels. This Nef was made in Nassau and bears the makers mark of Berthold Muller.

A nef was an elaborate table ornament during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Nefs were used to decorate the banqueting table and were also used to hold spices, cutlery and napkins. The earliest known Nef dates to 1239 and an example is depicted in the Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. The wheels allowed the Nef to be wheeled from one end of the table to the other.