Covered Beaker

Sebastian Lindenast the Elder

ca. 1490–1500 · Copper gilt · The Cloisters

During the Middle Ages, silversmiths in Nuremberg and other cities were generally prohibited from working in copper gilt in order to protect the lucrative market for precious wares. By imperial privilege, however, the Lindenast family was permitted to use copper, and this finely made vessel is probably from the workshop of Sebastian Lindenast the Elder. It is not marked, as it likely would be if it had been made in silver, but it is stylistically consistent with the work of Nuremberg silversmiths. In addition to its attractive profile and crisply engraved, lively design, the beaker is notable for its well-preserved gilded surface.

Artist

Sebastian Lindenast the Elder

Date

ca. 1490–1500

Medium

Copper gilt

Culture

German

Department

The Cloisters

Credit line

The Cloisters Collection, 1994