Wedding goblet

Goblets with elaborate, symbolic or humorous forms played an important role during Renaissance and Baroque court ceremonies. Vessels of this type were wedding cups produced from the mid-16th century onwards, mainly in Nuremberg, in the form of a young woman in rich dress, holding a silver-framed shell bowl high above her head. They had an ambiguous, frivolous character, as the groom fulfilled his toast from a bowl formed by the upturned skirt of a lady, while at the same time the bride drank from a shell, connected to the rest of the vessel by hinges.

The cup from the Szczecin collection is a 19th century imitation of these exceptional works of art. The young lady is depicted in an outfit reminiscent of courtly women's fashion from around 1600. The top dress with short sleeves and a heavily laced bodice emphasises the slimness of the waist. The skirt is richly decorated with motifs of birds, bunches of fruit and Schweifwerk ornamentation passing into acanthus leaves. The goblet she holds mimics the shape of a shell in a silver frame. Both the form of the vessel and the ornamental motifs are modelled on late Renaissance works – but with some simplifications, such as the replacement of the real shell with a bowl forged in silver. The goblet was made by one of the most famous manufacturers specialising in imitations of old silverware – Neresheimer & Co. of Hanau. The goldsmith's marks stamped on the vessel refer to Augsburg and Lüneburg, two important German centres of Renaissance goldsmithing, which serve as inspiration for historicising works.

Monika Frankowska-Makała