Sonja

It reminds me of Linophryne arborifer, which of course only was discovered in 1925, when humans could build diving devices ro explore the very deep sea. By that time spouter like this where still created, but this late renaissance helmet should have not atracted the newest exotic critters, it's after all not a feature zoo pavillon. My best guess is that it was originally a plainer looking whale and the angle it aquired along with the red florals below for stabilisation during the times. There is actually a cafe close by the gate named "Zum Walfisch" with a maritime mural that seems not quite to fit an old town deep inland by a river to smal to have even really sizable Wels.... and they did not just name it this way as modern marketing ploy, it's a centuries old house name.