Cup
- Place of origin:
Dordrecht, Holland (made)
- Date:
- Artist/Maker:
- Materials and Techniques:
Embossed, moulded, and engraved partially gilded (parcel-gilt) silver with applied work and enamel
- Credit Line:
Presented by Lady Marjorie Gilbert through the American Friends of the Art Fund
- Museum number:
- Gallery location:
Gold, Silver & Mosaics, room 70, case 2, shelf 1
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In the Netherlands each town would usually have three militia guilds for civil defence. The militia guild representing cross- and footbows used Saint George as its emblem. This pair of cups are thought to be the earliest surviving militia guild cups, which would have been displayed on the buffet at guild dinners. There is little remaining material evidence of the three militia guilds of Dordrecht (particularly compared to other Dutch towns) and so these cups are an interesting and important insight into the material culture of the guilds in the sixteenth century, a period when the Netherlands were increasing in wealth.
Made by The Anonymous Master of the Heart, as the maker is now known, these cups are the product of one of the most highly regarded Dutch silversmiths of the sixteenth century.
Physical description
Parcel gilt cup and cover, with a finial of St George and the dragon. The cover is embossed and decorated with fruit and cherub's heads. The bowl is divided into three sections, and is engraved with panels of foliate scrollwork, snails, butterflies, strapwork, volutes, drapery, birds, fruit, and lions' masks holding rings. The bowl is also decorated with enamelled medallions of St George, his arms and a crossbow. There is an embossed baluster stem with dragons heads, and the foot is also embossed.
Place of Origin
Dordrecht, Holland (made)
Date
1592 (made)
Artist/maker
Unknown (production)
Materials and Techniques
Embossed, moulded, and engraved partially gilded (parcel-gilt) silver with applied work and enamel
Marks and inscriptions
Heart beneath a coronet Maker's mark
1592 engraved on the inside of the cover
Dordrecht Made in Dordrecht
Dimensions
Height: 38 cm, Width: 11.4 cm
Descriptive line
Cup and cover, partially gilded (parcel-gilt), with a finial of St George and the dragon. Dordrecht, 1592.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Fredericks, J.W. Dutch Silver. , 4 vols. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff 1958. Vol. II, p. 142, no. 418.
Exhibition History
Exhibition The Hague (01/01/1952-31/12/1952)
Dutch Art (London 01/01/1929-31/12/1929)
Art Treasures Exhibition (London 01/01/1928-31/12/1928)
Production Note
Attributed to The Anonymous Master of the Heart, regarded as one of the best Dutch silversmiths of the sixteenth century.
Materials
Silver; Enamel; Silver-gilt
Techniques
Moulded; Enamelled; Applied work; Engraved; Embossed; Parcel gilded
Subjects depicted
George (Saint)
Categories
Containers; Metalwork
Collection code
MET
