Elizabeth I Antique Silver Cup and Cover

Description

A superb little early English silver wine cup dating back to the 1500’s, complete with the original cover. The cup stands on a spreading foot with a multi baluster stem, the ovoid body hand engraved with attractive contemporary ornament of strapwork and arabesque foliage. It’s extraordinarily rare to find a piece of Elizabethan silver made for personal use as opposed to church communion silver.

Contains 150ml.
Weight 199g, 6.3 troy oz.
Height 16.9cm (6.6ins) to top of cover, 12cm to rim. Diameter 6.7cm (cover), 6.2cm (cup).
London 1590
Maker RW.
Sterling silver.

An exceptional example of Tudor period silver displaying the hand crafted expertise of a bygone age.

Marks. Stamped on the body and cover with a full set of matching English silver hallmarks. Maker’s mark “RW” is unidentified – it’s rare to assign a maker of this early date as the records of London makers were destroyed in the fire at Goldsmith’s Hall in 1681. Next to both hallmarks is “R within a star”, possibly an import mark. There is an engraved symbol to the underside.

Provenance. Mrs C. W. D. Steward, sold Sotheby’s, London, 19 June 1958, lot 151

Literature. Wine Cups. During the 1500’s it had been more common to use a shallow drinking bowl for wine, either flat based or on a stem; by the end of the century circa 1590 the elegant wine cup with its slim bowl and tall, shapely stem became the popular choice. This change was probably influenced by the growing fashion for Venetian glasses to the extent that wine goblets in silver seem to have completely disappeared by the early 1660’s and did not re-emerge until about 100 years later.

Post Sale Addendum.
– This is a small standing cup used for both decorative purposes and for drinking. We’ve attached an image which shows a similar style cup from 1585 illustrated in Michael Clayton’s Encyclopaedia of Silver and Gold.
– Standing cups were very popular during the 16th century for sideboard display and were often put in front of the host at the dining table. The cover adds height and makes it look more important. It also prevents the wine from contamination (dust, poison?….).
– It’s unlikely that this was ever used for religious purposes. It’s not the Elizabethan form for communion cups and the cover is not a paten which had a central flat foot and was reversible.
– The engraved decoration is typically Elizabethan and guaranteed original.

This delightful cup with cover is in good condition with signs of use over the past 400 years. The hand engraving still retains good definition. The cup has been water tested and does not leak. Both pieces have a magnificent antique patination. The cup stands firmly and is completely usable. There are some signs of earlier repairs which is to be expected with a piece of silver of this age. One is a very minor solder to the stem which can also been seen below the foot. The second is a narrow flaw to the edge of the base rim - probably just a spread in the join rather than a split. Images provided.

No maker assigned

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