Two-handled cup with cover 1682 - 1683

This two-handled silver cup was made in London by E. N., at an unknown date. Ornamentation on the cup signals wealth and status. Consider the costly silver, carefully hammered into shape, decorated with cast foliage, and hallmarked to guarantee its purity. The Baroque style of its decoration imitates elite Continental design. Such an object would have been commissioned by someone of high social standing, and would serve to publicly display their refined taste and financial resources. Objects such as this speak to London’s position as a major trading hub, the wealth of its merchant class, and its thriving community of skilled artisans. Silver cups such as this one allow historians to trace the movement of styles and goods, and to map social hierarchies in this period. We might study guild records, probate inventories, and pattern books to better understand the culture that produced this impressive object.