Ascot Cup
1825/26
Medium
Silver gilt with cast, applied, and chased decoration
Dimensions
27.3 × 29.9 cm (10 3/4 × 11 3/4 in.)
Classification
drinking vessel
Department
Applied Arts of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
55515
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The racecourse on Ascot Heath, in Berkshire, England, was established in 1711, and the Royal Meeting, a nearly weeklong series of horse races held there in the summer, remains one of the major events of the British social calendar. This trophy cup may be associated with the 1827 running of the prestigious Gold Cup race. It was made by Paul Storr, one of the premier English silversmiths of the day.The Ascot Cup was modeled after a very large marble vase from the 2nd century A.D. that was found in...
About the Artist
Paul Storr · 1771–1844
Paul Storr (baptized 28 October 1770, London – 18 March 1844, London) was England's preeminent silversmith of the Regency era, renowned for his masterful neoclassical designs that graced royal tables and aristocratic homes. Born to Thomas Storr, a silver-chaser who later became an innkeeper in Westminster, young Paul began his training around 1785 as an apprentice to the Swedish silversmith Andrew...