Fine German sterling silver 19th century loving or wedding/marriage cup with gilt interior, stamped with Hanauer and London 1890 import marks
Loving, wedding/marriage or “Jungfraubecher” cups originated in Nuremberg, Germany in the 16th century. The double drinking cup is crafted in the form of a female, and occasionally but rarely a male, in costume with a tight bodice and wide voluminous skirt which forms the bottom cup. The outstretched arms hold a foliate openwork support from which a small swivel cup is suspended. Used during the wedding banquet, the large skirt shaped cup for the groom and the smaller swivel cup for the bride, the couple is to drink the contents at the same time ensuring not to spill a drop. The 16th century legend has it that a wealthy nobleman disapproved of his daughter’s suitor, a goldsmith, and banished him to the dungeon. However, after his daughter fell gravely ill with lovesickness, in desperation her father agreed to a test - if the goldsmith could produce a cup or chalice that two people could drink from at the same time without spilling then the pair could be reunited. The goldsmith created a chalice known as the swivelling cup and the couple were wed, creating a romantic tradition which continues today Popular in the 19th century, the style was also used for wager cups toward the end of the century, and hence are also sometimes called “wager cups”.
Size: 9 ½ h x 4 ¼ w x 4 d in
C20214
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