Bottoms-up cup or stirrup cup (Sturzbecher)

Unknown

ca. 1550–70 · Salt-glazed stoneware · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Clay enabled a spontaneity of modeling impossible for goldsmiths; stoneware objects could be made quickly and at a fraction of the cost of metal ones. The potter turned this vessel on a wheel to manipulate its basic form, pressing on the separately made head, arms, and other details; the glaze was applied so hastily its trickles are discernable. Traditionally, a departure would be marked by a farewell or Godspeed toast drunk in honor of Saint Gertrude, patron of travelers. "Bottoms-up" (or stirrup) cups are associated with this ceremony. With no base to be set down upon, they are intended to be used on horseback and the liquid downed in a gulp. [Elizabeth Cleland, 2017]

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1550–70

Medium

Salt-glazed stoneware

Culture

German, Cologne

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Gift of R. Thornton Wilson, in memory of Florence Ellsworth Wilson, 1954