Cup

Object Type
Cups were the most prestigious pieces of Tudor silverware. They were given as part of the New Year gift exchange at court, as marks of honour from a monarch to a foreign prince or a valued subject. They were also presented on happy occasions such as christenings or weddings, or to commemorate a promotion to a higher office. This attractive small cup would have been used for wine.

Design
The bowl is decorated with 'nail-head' ornament, produced by punching the silver in concentric rows. This type of ornament is found on Portuguese bowls of the early 16th century and on 15th-century Venetian glass. It is also imitated on the rims of tin-glazed earthenware dishes.

Ownership & Use
The mass of the population drank ale or beer but the gentry and nobility also had access to wine. A contemporary account describes how 'Clownes and vulgar men onely use large drinking of beere or Ale (...) but Gentlemen garrowse onely in Wine, with which many mixe sugar...'. Drinking vessels could be made of pottery, wood or even leather but ownership of a silver or gold cup was a powerful mark of status.