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Cup

1608-1609 (hallmarked)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This vessel represents a bunch of grapes. A figure clambers up the tree-trunk stem of the cup, raising his axe to cut the vine. The form is typical of South German goldsmiths' work. The London marks on the present cup, however, suggest that it was either made in England by a German goldsmith, or imported from Germany and marked upon arrival. Either interpretation is possible.

Documentary evidence and survivals show that a substantial amount of German silver came to England in the late-16th and early-17th centuries. Provided that this silver met the higher standard of English sterling silver (92.5 percent pure silver), plate could be assayed and hallmarked upon arrival in England. Records also show that there were a number of German artisans working in London, for as one German visitor commented in 1613 'the goldsmiths in London were [until recently] nearly all Germans' (R. Lightbown, 1970).

This object forms part of the Gilbert Collection. Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Cup
  • Cover
Materials and techniques
Silver-gilt, raised, cast, chased, embossed
Brief description
Silver-gilt pineapple cup and cover, London, 1608-9
Physical description
The body of the cup resembles a bunch of grapes, with the stem taking the appearance of a tree trunk which rests on a spreading circular foot that has a plain, raised centre and is chased around the border with fluting on matted ground. An axe-wielding woodsman clings to the side of the stem. The ovoid body and cover are embossed with imbricated lobes that give the illusion of a bunch of grapes. The cover has an engrailed border and a detachable finial in the shape of a vase of flowers.
Dimensions
  • Height: 27cm
  • Width: 8.5cm
  • Base diameter: 8.2cm
  • Weight: 320g
Marks and inscriptions
  • Mark of 'S' over 'W' unidentified (On lip and cover)
  • London hallmarks for 1608-9 (On lip and cover)
  • Sterling standard (On lip and cover)
Gallery label
(Gallery 70, case 1) 2. Cup and cover 1608–09 Marked London, England; maker’s mark SW; possibly made in Nuremberg, Germany Gilded silver Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.533:1, 2-2008 (16/11/2016)
Credit line
The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Object history
Provenance:
The earls Spencer, Althorp, Northamptonshire;
This vessel was purchased from S. J. Shrubsole Corporation, New York in 1983.
Historical context
Cups of this form are known as 'pineapple cups', a traditional German form introduced in centres such as Nuremberg in the late Gothic period. The form remained in use throughout the 16th and 17th century.
Production
It is possible that the cup was made in Germany and hallmarked in London upon arrival
Subjects depicted
Summary
This vessel represents a bunch of grapes. A figure clambers up the tree-trunk stem of the cup, raising his axe to cut the vine. The form is typical of South German goldsmiths' work. The London marks on the present cup, however, suggest that it was either made in England by a German goldsmith, or imported from Germany and marked upon arrival. Either interpretation is possible.

Documentary evidence and survivals show that a substantial amount of German silver came to England in the late-16th and early-17th centuries. Provided that this silver met the higher standard of English sterling silver (92.5 percent pure silver), plate could be assayed and hallmarked upon arrival in England. Records also show that there were a number of German artisans working in London, for as one German visitor commented in 1613 'the goldsmiths in London were [until recently] nearly all Germans' (R. Lightbown, 1970).

This object forms part of the Gilbert Collection. Sir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes. Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.
Associated objects
Bibliographic references
  • Grimwade, Arthur. 'Silver at Althorp: 5'. The Connoisseur. March 1964, vol. 155, cat. no.15, fig. 6, pp. 179-81.
  • Schroder, Timothy. The Gilbert collection of gold and silver. Los Angeles (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) 1988, cat. no.15, pp. 79-81. ISBN.0875871445
  • Nürnberger Goldschmiedekunst. 1541-1868. Band II. Goldglanz und Silberstrahl. Exhibition catalogue Germanisches Nationalmuseum 2007-2008, Nuremberg (Verlag des Germanischen Nationalmuseums) 2007, pp. 179-182.
Other numbers
  • SG 163 - Arthur Gilbert Number
  • GB 215 - Arthur Gilbert Number
  • 1998.17 - The Gilbert Collection, Somerset House
Collection
Accession number
LOAN:GILBERT.533:1, 2-2008

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Record createdJune 26, 2008
Record URL
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