Beaker 1571

Hans Knebel crafted this silver beaker in Switzerland sometime in the 16th century. Drinking vessels such as these were luxury objects and could signal the status of their owners in early modern Europe. This beaker’s elaborate ornamentation creates meaning through visual and cultural codes that would have been recognizable to contemporaries. The engraved decoration consists of repeating foliate patterns, along with medallions on the beaker’s foot displaying heraldic devices, such as crests and coats of arms. These images speak to the world of noble families and civic elites in Switzerland at the time. They evoke the values of lineage, honor, and authority that structured society. The beaker, therefore, might have played a role in social rituals where status was performed and reinforced. To understand this object more fully, we can turn to sources such as family records, guild archives, and books of emblems. By looking at this beaker in its original context, we can better appreciate how art objects reflected and shaped social relations in the past.