Covered Beaker

Italian (vessel); Austrian (mounts)

On view at The Met Cloisters in Gallery 10

Hard-stone vessels such as this twelve-sided rock crystal example are among the most treasured products of the Middle Ages. This beaker was likely produced in Venice, known as an import center for the cutting and polishing of rock crystal. The silver-gilt mounts, however, compare closely with pieces produced in Vienna. The silver is inscribed in verse around the base in a German dialect: WER/HIE•V/•DR/INCE/ET•W/INDE/R•MV/EZZ/E•IEM/ER•S/ELIG/SIN (He who drinks wine from me, ever shall happy be). That exhortation leaves little doubt that this vessel was intended for secular use.

Covered Beaker, Silver gilt, rock crystal, and translucent enamels, Italian (vessel); Austrian (mounts)

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