The so-called ‘Merkelsche Tafelaufsatz’, a centrepiece made by the Nuremberg goldsmith Wenzel Jamnitzer in 1549, is one of the most famous masterpieces in goldsmithing from the sixteenth century. For the opening of the new Rijksmuseum, the centrepiece needed conservation treatment, which provided the opportunity for an in-depth examination. One of the most interesting findings concerned the so far undiscovered remnants of a largely removed etched text on the silver plaque fixed to the bottom of the piece. The traces of the text, which must derive from the time Jamnitzer made the centrepiece, were non- destructively analysed with the AGLAE mapping system at the Musée du Louvre, and some letters could be discriminated. These results shed new light on the history of the piece and a possible special occasion for which this object may have been made