Cup
1820 (made)
Place of origin |
This cup can be dated to 1820 by the hall mark on the silver rim. There is another example in the V&A collection, AP.728:13, and other very similar examples which appear on the market, rather naively engraved hunting scenes. The second V&A cup, AP.728:13, formed part of the 'Animal Products Collection' acquired at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851 and later displayed at the Museum's branch museum at Bethnal Green. It is possible that cups like these were made by a single workshop operating from the 1820s to the 1850s, most probably in England, although evidence about the location of such a workshop is currently lacking.
The cups do not conform to the shape of stirrup cups used at hunts, so are unlikely to have been intended for use during hunting. They are more likely to have been made as gifts. Some, such as AP.728:13, are personalised with initials which were probably added by the workshop to order. They derive from a much earlier tradition of using animal horns as drinking vessels but the decoration technique is similar to 'scrimshaw', engraved work on bone or ivory traditionally carried out by sailors. The beaker shape would have made them suitable for use, and AP.728:13 is described as a cup for Madeira, a fortified wine.
The cups do not conform to the shape of stirrup cups used at hunts, so are unlikely to have been intended for use during hunting. They are more likely to have been made as gifts. Some, such as AP.728:13, are personalised with initials which were probably added by the workshop to order. They derive from a much earlier tradition of using animal horns as drinking vessels but the decoration technique is similar to 'scrimshaw', engraved work on bone or ivory traditionally carried out by sailors. The beaker shape would have made them suitable for use, and AP.728:13 is described as a cup for Madeira, a fortified wine.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Parts | This object consists of 2 parts. (Some alternative part names are also shown below)
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Materials and techniques | Engraved horn with a silver rim. |
Brief description | Horn cup or beaker, with an engraved hunting scene, and the word 'TALEHO', a hunting cry. It has a silver rim with a hall mark for 1820. |
Physical description | Horn cup or beaker, with an engraved hunting scene, and the word 'TALEHO', a hunting cry. It has a silver rim with a hall mark for 1820. |
Dimensions |
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Marks and inscriptions | TALEHO ('Tally-ho' is a cry which English hunters traditional call when they see the fox or other quarry.)
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Credit line | Given by Rene de L'Hopital |
Object history | The cup was given to the Museum by Rene de L'Hopital of Kensington in 1920, Registered file no. 20/6387. It is very similar to another example in the collection, AP.728:13, which was probably exhibited at the Great Exhibition in London, 1851. At the Museum AP.728:13 was exhibited as part of the 'Animal Products' collection at the branch museum at Bethnal Green, in a case illustrating 'manufactures from black ox horn'. There is a pair of similar cups in the Melton Carnegie Museum, Leicestershire, (L.H326.1980.1.0 & L.H326.1980.2.0) inscribed 'MELTON HUNT/DRINK AND BE MERRY' and 'RETURN MELTON HUNT'. |
Summary | This cup can be dated to 1820 by the hall mark on the silver rim. There is another example in the V&A collection, AP.728:13, and other very similar examples which appear on the market, rather naively engraved hunting scenes. The second V&A cup, AP.728:13, formed part of the 'Animal Products Collection' acquired at the Great Exhibition in London in 1851 and later displayed at the Museum's branch museum at Bethnal Green. It is possible that cups like these were made by a single workshop operating from the 1820s to the 1850s, most probably in England, although evidence about the location of such a workshop is currently lacking. The cups do not conform to the shape of stirrup cups used at hunts, so are unlikely to have been intended for use during hunting. They are more likely to have been made as gifts. Some, such as AP.728:13, are personalised with initials which were probably added by the workshop to order. They derive from a much earlier tradition of using animal horns as drinking vessels but the decoration technique is similar to 'scrimshaw', engraved work on bone or ivory traditionally carried out by sailors. The beaker shape would have made them suitable for use, and AP.728:13 is described as a cup for Madeira, a fortified wine. |
Collection | |
Accession number | W.53:1-1920 |
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Record created | June 24, 2009 |
Record URL |
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