Standing Cup 1897 - 1900

This gilded silver standing cup was created by Karl Theodore Bitter, an Austrian-born American sculptor who lived from 1867 to 1915. Bitter was a prominent figure in the American art scene during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a period marked by rapid industrialization and social change. The cup features a series of relief images and inscriptions. The sculptural elements on the stem of the cup depict figures in various states of support and elevation. We might consider how Bitter's own immigrant experience and rise in social status influenced his artistic vision. The cup seems to serve as a metaphor for the act of striving and achieving. It could also reflect the complex social dynamics of the Gilded Age in America, a period defined by both extravagant wealth and stark inequality. What does it mean to hold something up? What is it like to feel supported?