English: Such a refined object could have found a place either on the banquet table of a noble household or in a collection of masterpieces in rock crystal. Dolphins with entwined tails support the fish, while the wavy patterns on the base represent flowing water. During the late Renaissance and Baroque periods, natural shapes were often imitated in elaborate virtuoso displays, as is splendidly demonstrated here. Vessels in the shapes of fishes were a particular specialty of the Sarachi family in Milan.