This ivory canister tower sculpted by Achilles Hermansreyt belonged to the Wunderkammer of the princely German house of Thurn und Taxis. Next to its maker’s signature is the inscription 'hoc opvs centrale / ingenio svo primvs extvlit', which extols his intellectual qualities rather than his manual skill. These items appeared in cabinets of curiosities not only as extraordinary objects but also as tangible evidence of the human genius, not least because ivory is a material endowed with great biblical significance as a symbol of purity.