Pandora

1676

According to Greek mythology, Zeus gave Pandora a box that she was forbidden to open. However, Pandora’s curiosity got the better of her and she opened it releasing all evil into the world. Instead of a box, Graat portrayed a silver ewer made by Adam van Vianen in 1614, also on display in the Rijksmuseum. The ewer’s remarkable auricular-style ornamentation, including grotesque monsters, corresponds with the story.