SILVER REPLICA of a 17TH CENTURY FIGURAL WEDDING or WAGER CUP
HG (Garrido Hermanos?), Spain, 20th Century, .917 Silver
Of heavy gauge silver, the silver figural wedding cup, or wager cup, modeled as a standing lady with a long
bell-shaped skirt, chased with shell, fruit and foliate decoration on a linear- and roe-diapered ground,
lifting above her head a tilting shell-chased cup suspended from pierced rocaille scrolls ending in
dolphin heads; gilt-washed bowls
The wedding, or wager, cup is based on a 17th century design traditionally used in marriages, where the bride
and groom drank from the two cups simultaneously - hopefully without spilling. The is an exceptionally large
example, the larger bowl cast in two sections and intricately chased. See Note below.
Marks : Maker's mark HG in a rectangular hexagon, probably for Garrido Hermanos, working in Madrid;
five-pointed star (.917 fine silver)
Note : A true story of true love
In Nuremburg in the late 1500’s, a nobleman forbade his daughter Kunigunde from marrying an ambitious
goldsmith, imprisoning him to keep them apart. Seeing his daughter’s deep despair, he offered the young
goldsmith this seemingly impossible wager : if he could make a chalice from which two could drink at the
same time without spilling a drop, he would be freed and the two could marry. With his love as inspiration,
he met the impossible challenge. He designed and cast a silver cup, fashioned as a beautiful young lady
with a voluminous skirt which served as a large cup. Her raised arms held a second smaller swiveling cup,
so that the two cups could be drunk from simultaneously.
He was freed. They married.
And the Marriage – or Wager – Cup today
remains a symbol of love, faithfulness and good luck for those who drink from the cup.
Condition : Excellent with minor gilt fading to the interiors
9.75" High / 17.9 oz.
SOLD
# 6112
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For information, call (901) 761-1163 or (901) 827-4668
Email : mfcreech@bellsouth.net or mfordcreech@gmail.com
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