The Griffin's claw cup
- Gallery: Room 2a
- Maker: Hans Faust
- Made in: Mainz
- Date: 1541-1583
- Object type: standing cup
- Materials: buffalo horn; silver
- Museum number: WB.102
- 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 Griffin's Claw Cup," a remarkable example of 16th-century goldsmithing from Mainz. This standing cup and cover is made of a cow's horn, framed in silver-gilt with intricate embossing and chasing. The rim features a scene of Lot and his daughters in relief, alongside Marcus Curtius leaping into a chasm, surrounded by busts, masks, and figures on the cover.
The front prominently displays a shield of arms supported by griffins, mythical creatures with the body of a lion and the wings of an eagle—symbolized further by an eagle at the top of the handle, supporting two shields. The base is chased to look like fur and is held by a bird's claw.
The cup is richly detailed, with floral scrolls adorning the mounting and engraved animals encircling its base. Inscriptions in German add to the story, naming it "A Griffin's Claw I am called, in Asia Arabia am I well know," and marking its origin from Mainz.
Made by Hans or Lorenz Faust, master goldsmiths of Mainz, it reflects Renaissance artistry while rooted in medieval traditions.
See it in person
The Griffin's claw 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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