Object Type
This standing cup with cover was intended for display. It would have been shown as part of a mass of vessels on a buffet or sideboard. Buffet displays were intended to demonstrate wealth and status.
Design & Technique
The principal decoration on this elaborate piece comprises bands of applied wire, known as filigree work. In this technique, a fine metal wire is formed into intricate designs, usually of geometric or foliate form. They are then soldered on to the object. The filigree is complemented by bands of engraving. On the cover these depict birds and animals in a landscape. On the body there are hunting scenes, and on the base fruit and flower stems.
Design Sources & Maker
Although made in London, this cup is unlikely to have been made by an Englishman, for a number of reasons. Filigree work is associated with south German and eastern European goldsmiths' work, and is rarely found in English silver. The surviving examples of English filigree work are so similar in technique that they can be attributed to the same maker as this piece. The engraving is based on Northern European print sources, and the maker's mark is a combination of initials characteristic of Flemish names. The maker's mark is otherwise unrecorded in London, and it is probable that he was working in London only for a short period of time.
Physical description
Standing Cup and Cover. 1611-12. Silver gilt, 19½ x 6¼ x 6¼"" (49.6 x 16 x 16 cm). Mark of an unidentified goldsmith TvL in monogram (perhaps Thierry [Dierick] Luckemans).
Place of Origin
London, England (made)
Date
1611-1612 (made)
Artist/maker
Luckemans, Thierry Dierick (possibly, maker)
Materials and Techniques
Silver gilt
Marks and inscriptions
Maker's mark TvL or TvZ monogram, possibly for Thierry (Dierick) Luchemans
Dimensions
Height: 49.6 cm, Diameter: 16 cm
[Cup] Diameter: 17.5 cm maximum, Diameter: 14.6 cm foot
Object history note
Made in London
Descriptive line
Standing Cup and Cover, silver gilt, probably Flemish maker working in England (London), 1611
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Baker, Malcolm and Richardson, Brenda, eds. A Grand Design : The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum. London: V&A Publications, 1997. 431 p., ill. ISBN 1851773088.
This handsome cup, recognised as English at the time of its acquisition in 1859 (for £260), has long been greatly admired as an example of goldsmiths' work. The cup's decoration, with its intricate bands of vine scrolls alternating with engraved hunting scenes, was clearly appreciated from the outset. The cup was copied in electrotype as early as 1863, and by 1881 it was on view with other especially precious examples of goldsmiths' work and enamels in the Prince Consort gallery, indeed being one of the pieces singled out in Baedeker's guide.
The TvL cup was made by an unidentified goldsmith, most likely one of many Flemish makers active in London during a period when foreigners, more rigorously trained in drawing and technical skills, could offer rich effects that were appreciated by English patrons. This artisan's technique of creating and laying down fine wires and cast leaves for the vine scrolls is unusual and closer to the workmanship of a jeweller than of a silversmith.
The covered standing cup was the principal type of display plate in early modern Europe; because so many were preserved by museums, a disproportionate number of such cups have survived. The cup had special significance as a gift, with its use governed by rules of ceremony.
Lit. Jackson, 1911, pp. 669-700; Hayward, 1976, plate 663; Glanville, 1990, pp. 405-6
PHILIPPA GLANVILLE
Exhibition History
Treasures of the Royal Courts: Tudors, Stuarts and the Russian Tsars (Victoria and Albert Museum)
A Grand Design - The Art of the Victoria and Albert Museum (Victoria and Albert Museum 12/10/1999-16/01/2000)
Labels and date
British Galleries:
Although this cup was made in London, its maker was probably not English. The applied wirework was inspired by south German work and the engraved hunting scenes are similar to prints published in Northern Europe.The maker may not have settled permanently in London. European goldsmiths often spent part of their training travelling around Europe. [27/03/2003]
Treasures of the Royal Courts: Tudors, Stuarts and the Russian Tsars label text:
Standing cup and cover
1611–12
Throughout the Tudor and Stuart periods, European craftsmen brought new styles and techniques to London. The bands of filigree suggest that the maker of this cup originally came from South Germany or Eastern Europe.
London
Gilded silver
Maker’s mark ‘TvL’, possibly for Thierry Dierick Luckemans
V&A 5964-1859
Subjects depicted
Flowers; Men; Leaves; Trees; Buildings; Dogs; Urns; Hunters; Vine scrolls
Categories
Containers; British Galleries; Metalwork
Collection code
MET
