Cup with cover 1576 - 1584

Eberwein Kessmann crafted this covered cup around 1550, an object glittering with stories in silver. Notice atop its lid, the figure with a shield and spear—a guardian spirit in classical garb. These motifs are not isolated; they echo through time. Think of ancient Roman household gods, the Lares, protectors of home and hearth, or even earlier, the apotropaic figures guarding doorways in antiquity. Here, the figure stands sentinel, warding off unseen threats. The cup itself is adorned with masks that harken back to the grotesque masks found in Renaissance art, meant to repel evil influences. This iconography blends pagan and Christian traditions, reflecting a culture grappling with the past as it forges the future. The cup becomes a vessel not only for drink, but for collective memory, stirring deep within us the primal need for protection and the comforting promise of continuity.