The Palmer Cup
- Audio guide stop: 102
- Gallery: Room 2a
- Culture: Ayyubid dynasty
- Made in: Syria (?glass); Egypt (?glass); France (mount)
- Date: 1201-1250 (circa (glass)); 14thC (mount)
- Object type: goblet
- Materials: glass; enamel; gold; mineral; silver
- Museum number: WB.53
- 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 Palmer Cup," a stunning goblet crafted during the Ayyubid dynasty, most likely in Syria or Egypt between 1201 and 1250. Made of clear glass, it is adorned with vibrant enamels and gold, and mounted with a silver-gilt base made in France in the 14th century.
Look closely at the rim to find an inscription in Arabic, which includes a poem about wine and one line attributed to a 10th-century poet.
On the glass, a prince is seated between two attendants holding swords, and beyond them sit three more figures. The details are rendered in thick white enamel with red and blue highlights. The base is decorated with fleur-de-lis patterns, while the stem shows pairs of birds nestled among branches.
This goblet may once have held relics, suggesting it was prized not only for beauty but also for spiritual significance.
See it in person
The Palmer 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 type its audio guide stop number, 102, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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