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Anef is an extravagant table ornament and container used in theMiddle Ages andRenaissance, made ofprecious metals in the shape of a ship –nef was another word for acarrack in French. If not just used for decoration, it could holdsalt orspices (the latter being very expensive in the Middle Ages), orcutlery, or evennapkins. The large nef depicted in the well-known calendar miniature for January from theTrès Riches Heures du Duc de Berry is being used to hold, and perhaps wash, gilt dishes from the table service.[1]
Nefs are recorded in France as early as 1239,[2] initially consisting of just thehull, and perhaps initially used to drink from; by the 14th century the most elaborate had masts, sails and even crew, and had become too crowded with such details to be used as containers for anything. The so-calledMechanical Galleon in theBritish Museum is a late 16th-century German nef which was also a clock andautomaton, with moving figures and music.
A nef was usually made ofsilver,silver-gilt orgold, often further embellished withenamel andjewels. Anautilus shell often formed the hull of the ship, as in theBurghley Nef (illustrated). Some nefs had wheels to allow them to be rolled from one end of the table to the other, but most had legs or pedestals. The nef was placed in front of the most important person at table as a mark of their status.
The equivalent in religious plate is anavicula, Latin for small ship, and also a term in English for a boat-shapedincense-holder.[3]
