Goodricke Cup
- Gallery: Room 46
- Culture: London
- Made in: London (England)
- Date: 1563; 1620 (circa?; body)
- Object type: standing cup
- Materials: silver; gold; enamel
- Museum number: AF.3050
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you is the "Goodricke Cup," an elaborate and finely crafted silver standing cup made in London in 1563. The cup originally held a carved ostrich egg, but this was later replaced with a silver bowl, engraved with figures, birds, and formal ornaments. Every inch of the cup is worked with remarkable artistry—figures, masks, and scrolling patterns cover the engraved surfaces. The cover is boldly sculpted with masks and hanging fruit, and the finial rises dramatically with a lion crest. Inside, you can see a medallion engraved and enamelled with the arms of Richard Goodricke, a powerful family of the time. Hallmarks from 1563 suggest the cup was made for Richard Goodricke of Ribston. A special piece of history—rich in design and layered in significance.
See it in person
Goodricke Cup is on display in Room 46 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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