Description

A very unusual antique silver chocolate cup of tapering form on a small applied foot; the simple “S” scroll handle having a beaded rat-tail decoration. The body has four panels of hand applied matting work. This rare little cup was made for drinking hot chocolate, the newly discovered drinking beverage popular c.1680-1720 – see the coloured illustration.

Contains 155ml.
Weight 108 grams, 3.4 troy ounces.
Height 7.7cm. Diameter of top 7.2cm. Spread across the handle 9cm.
London 1697.
Maker unknown.
Sterling silver.

Marks. Stamped underneath with a full set of English silver hallmarks. The leopard and lion marks are clear. The date letter is not fully stamped but is undoubtably from the 1680-1697 sequence from which we have allocated the date conservatively as “t” for 1697. The maker’s mark is not visible but is likely to be the faint mark stamped to the right of the date letter.