Double Cup thumbnail 1
Double Cup thumbnail 2
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Not currently on display at the V&A

Double Cup

1603/1609 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Double cups were two identical cups that fitted together at the lip, with one turned upside down and placed on top of the other for display. They were a traditional form from south Germany and were often presented as wedding gifts.

This object would once have been part of the buffet. The buffet of plate was an important feature of medieval and Renaissance banquets. Often made of oak or walnut, buffets usually stood at the side of a dining room, their shelves filled with tablewares. Gold and silver vessels were displayed to convey a sense of the owner's wealth. Normally these vessels were used for the service of food and drink, but on great state occasions they would be set out purely for display.

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
  • Cup
Materials and techniques
Raised, cast, stamped, embossed, chased, etched and silver-gilt
Brief description
Silver-gilt double cup, Nuremberg, Hans Beutmüller, circa 1600
Physical description
Both cups are of identical form, fitting together at the lip, each stands on an eight-lobed foot, with a tapering stem and gourd-shaped bowl, the stem is chased with swirling attenuated lobes, the bowl is also embossed with swirling lobes and has applied openwork flowers and foliage and a corded band beneath the vertical lip.
Dimensions
  • Height: 45.5cm
  • Diameter: 14.5cm
  • Weight: 1500g
Marks and inscriptions
  • Nuremberg hallmark (BZ 12, Nürnberger Goldschmiedekunst, 2007) (Marked on foot and lip of each)
  • Mark of Hanns Beutmuller (MZ0063a, Nürnberger Goldschmiedekunst, 2007) (Marked on foot and lip of each)
Gallery label
(Gallery 70, case 2) 8. Double cup About 1600 Double cups consist of two identical cups, with one turned upside down and placed on top of the other. They were a typical German form, and could be found on buffets from around 1500. Nürnberg, Germany; Hanns Beutmüller (died 1622) Gilded silver Museum no. Loan:Gilbert.525:1, 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. Acquired by Arthur Gilbert from S.J. Phillips Ltd, London, 1984.
Subjects depicted
Summary
Double cups were two identical cups that fitted together at the lip, with one turned upside down and placed on top of the other for display. They were a traditional form from south Germany and were often presented as wedding gifts.

This object would once have been part of the buffet. The buffet of plate was an important feature of medieval and Renaissance banquets. Often made of oak or walnut, buffets usually stood at the side of a dining room, their shelves filled with tablewares. Gold and silver vessels were displayed to convey a sense of the owner's wealth. Normally these vessels were used for the service of food and drink, but on great state occasions they would be set out purely for display.

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.
Bibliographic references
  • Grimwade, Arthur. 'Silver at Althorp: 5'. The Connoisseur. March 1964, vol. 155, fig.1, pp.161-5.
  • Schroder, Timothy. The Gilbert collection of gold and silver, Los Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1988, cat. no. 141, pp. 522-6. ISBN.0875871445
  • Nürnberger Goldschmiedekunst. 1541-1868. Band I. Meister, Werke, Marken. 2 parts. Nüremberg: Verlag des Germanischen Nationalmuseums, 2007. Part I, pp. 63-4, MZ63, no. 13.
Other number
SG 173AB - Arthur Gilbert Number
Collection
Accession number
LOAN:GILBERT.525:1, 2-2008

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Record createdJune 26, 2008
Record URL
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