Design for a Decorated Drinking Cup with Floriated Heads around Large Mouth, Intertwined Serpents as Handles 1495 - 1546

Giulio Romano drafted this design for a drinking cup in pen and brown ink, with brown wash, over black chalk, sometime in the first half of the 16th century. The drawing is a riot of ornament, from the florid heads around the rim to the intertwined serpents serving as handles. Imagine the complex processes required to realize this design in precious metal, perhaps silver or gold! The planishing of the bowl, the lost-wax casting of the handles, the chasing of every surface to bring out the details. This cup was never meant for everyday use. It was conceived to dazzle, to impress, to communicate the wealth and taste of its owner. It speaks of a society stratified by power and access to skilled labor. Even in sketch form, the cup embodies a princely aesthetic, one where artistic imagination and technical virtuosity were marshaled in the service of courtly display. Consider, next time you use a disposable cup, how different its story is from that of this object.