Buckelpokal thumbnail 1
Buckelpokal thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Silver, Room 69, The Whiteley Galleries

Buckelpokal

Cup and Cover
1480-1499 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Augsburg (made)

This rare type of cup with distinct repoussé lobes was known as a 'pineapple cup' although the shape is more reminiscent of a pinecone. The lobed foot with quatrefoil ornament is typical of the Gothic style. The artist Albrecht Dürer from Nuremberg illustrated such vessels in his drawings for goldsmiths. A member of the Fugger family from Augsburg in southern Germany was said to have given this cup to the Weaver's guild of the same town.


Object details

Categories
Access_to_Images 2003
Metalwork
SCRAN
Object type
Cup and cover
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Cups
  • Lid
TitleBuckelpokal (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Silver-gilt and enamel
Silver
Brief description
Standing cup and cover, unmarked but probably Augsburg,1480-1499.
Physical description
Of pineapple type, with finial of kneeling armed figure atop lobed cover with band of trefoil sprays on bulbous cup supported by thick stem on lobed foot with pierced band of quatrefoil within lozenges.
Dimensions
  • Weight: 738.2g (Note: Includes cup and lid together.)
  • Height: 34.5cm (Note: Base of cup to finial of lid.)
  • Diameter: 13.5cm (Note: Maximum diameter, taken across underside of lid.)
  • Diameter: 12cm (Note: Maximum diameter taken across underside of foot.)
Gallery label
  • Silver Gallery: This rare type of cup with distinct repoussé lobes was known as a 'pineapple cup' although the shape is more reminiscent of a pinecone. The lobed foot with quatrefoil ornament is typical of the Gothic style. The artist Albrecht Dürer from Nuremberg illustrated such vessels in his drawings for goldsmiths. A member of the Fugger family from Augsburg in Southern Germany was said to have given this cup to the Weaver's guild of the same town.(26/11/2002)
  • CUP AND COVER Silver-gilt with enamelled coat of arms South German; about 1500 Such cups were made for display and are shown prominently in illustrations of civic or guild ceremonial occasions. This piece is said to have been presented by a member of the Fugger family to the Weavers' Guild in Augsburg. With its lobed form, this cup has the flowing outline and rich ornamentation characteristic of the late Gothic style.
  • CUP AND COVER Silver-gilt with enamel coat-of-arms. Said to have been given to the Weavers' Guild of Augsburg by a member of the Fugger family German; late 15th century
Object history
Ceremonial drinking cups like this one were often presented as gifts in formal business or diplomatic contexts, and were offered to guests at guild dinners. When the Museum acquired this example, it was believed to have been presented to the Augsburg Weavers' guild by a member of the wealthy Fugger family. However, although cloth formed the basis of the Fugger family fortune, and the Fuggers had long-standing links with the Augsburg Weavers' guild, there is no evidence for this association on the cup itself, nor do any documents survive to support the theory. In 1871, the cup was one of a pair in the collection of the Nuremberg antique dealer Sigmund Pickert. The second cup, with a kneeling angel on the finial, eventually entered the Wernher collection, and was sold at auction by Christie's London in 2000.
Production
Unmarked
Summary
This rare type of cup with distinct repoussé lobes was known as a 'pineapple cup' although the shape is more reminiscent of a pinecone. The lobed foot with quatrefoil ornament is typical of the Gothic style. The artist Albrecht Dürer from Nuremberg illustrated such vessels in his drawings for goldsmiths. A member of the Fugger family from Augsburg in southern Germany was said to have given this cup to the Weaver's guild of the same town.
Bibliographic references
  • Zimmermann, E.. Augsburger Zeichen und Wappen: umfassend di Bürger der Reichsstadt Augsburg und die Inhaber höherer geistlicher Würden der Bischofsstadt Augsburg, ihrer Stifte und Klöster. Augsburg: H. Mühlenberger, 1970.
  • Pilz, M. 'Buckelpokal'. Catalogue entry. In: Dressed for Success. Matthäus Schwarz: Ein Modetagebuch des 16. Jahrhunderts. Ed. by Martina Minning, and others. Catalogue of the exhibition held at the Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Brunswick, 8 May to 4 August, 2019. Brunswick: Sanstein, 2019. ISBN 978-3-95498-372-8
  • Oman, C.. German and Swiss Domestic Silver of the Gothic Period. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1960.
  • Bartrum, G., and others. Albrecht Dürer and his Legacy. The Graphic Work of a Renaissance Artist. London: The British Museum, 2002. ISBN 0714126330 9780714126333.
Collection
Metalwork Collection
Accession number
614:1, 2-1872

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Record createdFebruary 19, 2004
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O93340/buckelpokal-cup-and-cover-unknown/
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