Spout Cup
1642-1643 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This type of spouted drinking vessel is known as a posset or syllabub cup. Posset is a mixture of hot milk and spices curdled with ale or wine. Syllabub is a rich mixture of cream, typically flavoured with sherry or sack. The spout allowed the drinker to enjoy the liquid ale or sack that had separated below the thick layer of curdled posset or creamy syllabub.
There are several marks struck on the side by the spout and on top of the cover. One is the Norwich hallmark, the castle and lion. The crowned rose hallmark, added in the early 17th century, was changed to a stalked rose at the end of the period 1600-1700. The letter T is the date letter for 1642-3 and there is also the mark of the maker, Timothy Skottowe.
The scroll handle is formed of a strip between two scrolled plates. The front was engraved at a later date with a coat of arms within a plume mantling surmounted by a crest. Although the plume mantling dates from the 1660s, the coat of arms and crest were probably added in the period 1800-1900.
There are several marks struck on the side by the spout and on top of the cover. One is the Norwich hallmark, the castle and lion. The crowned rose hallmark, added in the early 17th century, was changed to a stalked rose at the end of the period 1600-1700. The letter T is the date letter for 1642-3 and there is also the mark of the maker, Timothy Skottowe.
The scroll handle is formed of a strip between two scrolled plates. The front was engraved at a later date with a coat of arms within a plume mantling surmounted by a crest. Although the plume mantling dates from the 1660s, the coat of arms and crest were probably added in the period 1800-1900.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver, raised, turned, soldered and engraved |
| Brief description | Silver, Norwich hallmarks for 1642-3, mark of Timothy Skottowe |
| Physical description | The lidded tankard has a turned spout attached at right angles to the handle. The raised body narrows to the plain caulked rim. The tubular spout, which is soldered throughout its junction with the body, terminates inside at a circular hole 0.5 cm above the base. The plain D-shaped handle terminates in a plain (buckled)shield shaped plate. The swaged hinge plate is soldered to the circular lid. The thumb-piece is formed of a strip shaped between two scrolled plates. Engraved with the arms of Servington Savery, Co. Devon, within plumed mantling, surmounted by a heron's head crest. |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Unique |
| Copy number | Unique |
| Marks and inscriptions |
|
| Credit line | Given by L. C. Price |
| Object history | Given by L.C.Price in 1920 East Anglian Exhibition RF.2004/232 Historical significance: A rare example of the work of a leading Norwich goldsmith who was eleven times joint Warden of the Norwich Company between 1624 and 1642 |
| Historical context | Known as posset or syllabub cups, they are found also in tin glazed earthenware, glass and pewter. The spout was to enable the user to enjoy the liquid (ale in the case of posset, or sack in syllabub) which had separated below the thick layer of curdled egg posset or creamy syllabub. An early reference occurs in the play Sir G.Goosecappe (1606) to 'posset Cuppes carv'd with Libberds faces and Lyons heads, with spouts in their mouths to let out the posset ale'. |
| Production | Maker's mark for Timothy Skottowe Attribution note: Because the spout had been considered a possible addition, it and the body were tested by spectographic analysis. The result confirmed the homogeneity of the two parts. |
| Summary | This type of spouted drinking vessel is known as a posset or syllabub cup. Posset is a mixture of hot milk and spices curdled with ale or wine. Syllabub is a rich mixture of cream, typically flavoured with sherry or sack. The spout allowed the drinker to enjoy the liquid ale or sack that had separated below the thick layer of curdled posset or creamy syllabub. There are several marks struck on the side by the spout and on top of the cover. One is the Norwich hallmark, the castle and lion. The crowned rose hallmark, added in the early 17th century, was changed to a stalked rose at the end of the period 1600-1700. The letter T is the date letter for 1642-3 and there is also the mark of the maker, Timothy Skottowe. The scroll handle is formed of a strip between two scrolled plates. The front was engraved at a later date with a coat of arms within a plume mantling surmounted by a crest. Although the plume mantling dates from the 1660s, the coat of arms and crest were probably added in the period 1800-1900. |
| Bibliographic reference | Philippa Glanville and Sophie Lee, eds., The Art of Drinking, V&A Publications, London, 2007, p. 118 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.84-1920 |
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| Record created | May 28, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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