Standing cup
- Gallery: Room 2a
- Maker: Hans Petzolt
- Made in: Nuremberg
- Date: 1600 (circa)
- Object type: standing cup
- Materials: silver
- Museum number: WB.103
- 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 stands a fine silver-gilt cup, crafted around 1600 in Nuremberg by the master Hans Petzolt. This tall standing cup is richly embossed, its shape inspired by a pine cone, with a cover that mirrors the design. At the top, a delicate spiral branch crowns the piece, while below, the stem takes the form of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine, holding the cup. The base is hexagonal, featuring radiating ribs and scroll brackets, giving the entire work a sculptural elegance.
Markings on the cup, including a ram’s head and a town assay mark for Nuremberg, confirm Petzolt’s authorship. This impressive object is part of the Waddesdon Bequest, a remarkable collection donated by Baron Ferdinand Anselm Rothschild.
See it in person
Standing cup is on display in Room 2a 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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