Cup with cover
Unknown Artist
ca. 1655
Medium
Silver gilt, glass
Dimensions
Overall: 13 1/2 × 3 7/8 in., 1 lb. (34.3 × 9.8 cm, 453.597g)
Classification
Metalwork-Silver In Combination
Culture
German, Brunswick (Braunschweig) mounts with probably Southern Netherlandish glass
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
Accession Number
17.190.629a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *Cup with Cover* (ca. 1655) exemplifies the opulent craftsmanship of mid-17th-century Europe. Crafted with silver gilt mounts from Brunswick (Braunschweig), Germany, and a glass vessel likely from the Southern Netherlands, it blends regional specialties into a luxurious drinking vessel. Standing 13½ inches tall and weighing just over a pound, the piece features intricate decorations evoking men, horses, and lions—motifs that may depict mythological scenes, hunts, or allegorical triumphs common in Baroque decorative arts. The silver gilt technique, where a thin gold layer is app...