England, London / 1677
Two-Handled Cup and Cover
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Two-Handled Cup and Cover as silver (England, London · 1677).
Cups of this kind are often called sleeve cups since the ornament is incorporated into a pierced and chased hollow tube that slides over the gilded body of the cup.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this silver as silver and silver gilt.
The museum's collection notes: Due to its size and ornament, this vessel may have functioned as a caudle cup, containing a mixture of ale or wine and bread, oatmeal, eggs, sugar, and spices that was given to women after childbirth to help them regain their strength. The scrolling foliage and exotic birds along the exterior of this cup were likely based on prints circulating in the 1600s. The reclining female figures capping the handles and the acanthus bud finial on the lid recall common architectural motifs.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtTwo-Handled Cup and CoverOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.