Wine cup 1618 - 1619

This silver wine cup was made in London by R.W. sometime around 1618 or 1619. The cup’s material is central to its appeal. Silver is valuable of course, but it's also incredibly receptive to tooling. Notice how the stem of the cup has been shaped by hammering or turning, and the bowl has an engraved design of diamonds and stylized tulips. These textures catch the light, giving the cup an added visual richness. Pieces like this were not made by individual artists working alone. Instead, they were produced in workshops, where labor was divided. Some workers would be responsible for hammering the basic shape, while others would add the decoration. Silver objects like this were not just beautiful, they were also statements of wealth and status, designed for an elite clientele. Considering the cup in terms of its material and making allows us to appreciate it not just as a pretty object, but as a product of skilled labor, and of a specific social and economic system.