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The Westbury Cup
Acorn Cup
The Westbury Cup
Marked by: M
English
1585–86
Object Place: Europe, London, England
Medium/Technique
Silver gilt
Dimensions
H. 26.2 cm (10 5/16 in.); Diameter (of foot) 10.3 cm (4 1/16 in.); Weight 787.7 gm (25 oz 6 dwt)
Credit Line
Bequest of Frank Brewer Bemis
Accession Number35.1550
CollectionsEurope
ClassificationsSilver
DescriptionThe body of the cup is in the form of an acorn, with high straight sides, a domed cover, and a rounded textured base. The cover has an interior bezel fitting and a baluster finial. The cup stands on a detachable stem with a flattened knop and a spreading base with a stepped molded foot. The body of the vessel is composed of two pieces: a raised, barrel-shaped closed cylinder and a raised sleeve that fits over a threaded post at the base. The sleeve is decorated with a circular punch. The stem is assembled from several raised and formed sections with a drawn wire foot. The raised cover of the cup seems to have been repaired.
Marks
On cover near finial, maker's mark M a line across (Jackson, 1921, p. 105; rev. ed. 1989, p. 101); leopard's head crowned; lion passant; date letter H
InscriptionsEngraved around rim, "Given to the Church of Westbury by Collonel Wancklen & Mary Contes of Malbrou 1671"; engraved on cover, TW, MM
ProvenanceUntil 1845, All Saints' Church, Westbury, Wiltshire. By 1896, estate of F. W. Rummens, Esq.; April 17, 1896, sold by estate of F. W. Rummens, at Christie, Manson & Woods, London, lot 27, and bought in; 1898, sold by estate of F. W. Rummens, at Christie, Manson & Woods, lot 78, and bought by by Corbett. By 1904, Sir John Charles Robinson, Dorset. By 1915, A. M. S. Smedley, Esq. By 1927, Frederick Bradbury, London; 1927, sold by Frederick Bradbury to Frank Brewer Bemis; 1935, bequest of Frank Brewer Bemis. (Accession date: November 7, 1935)