Wager cup

Hieronymus Imhof

ca. 1610–15 · Silver, partly gilt, cold-painted enamel · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

A “wager cup” challenges the user to drink from both ends without spilling. This example is made in the shape of a woman—her ornamented skirt forms one cup and the vessel held above her head the second. Once the larger cup is drained, the figure can be turned upright so one can drink from the smaller, swiveling beaker. Hidden in the 1630s to protect it from looting during the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648), this object was rediscovered in the false wall of a Regensburg house in 1869.

Artist

Hieronymus Imhof

Date

ca. 1610–15

Medium

Silver, partly gilt, cold-painted enamel

Culture

German, Augsburg

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917