The Mérode Cup is a medieval

silver-gilt Silver-gilt or gilded/gilt silver, sometimes known in American English by the French language, French term vermeil, is silver (either pure or sterling silver, sterling) which has been gilding, gilded. Most large objects made in goldsmithing tha ...

cup decorated with finely engraved birds, fruit and vine leaves. It was made in France in

Burgundy Burgundy ( ; ; Burgundian: ''Bregogne'') is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. ...

in about 1400, and was named after the ancient Belgian family of Mérode, to whom it once belonged. It is now in the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

in London. The cup is made of

and is decorated with finely engraved birds, fruit and vine leaves. In the sides, cover and base are panels of the fragile and exquisite translucent enamel made using , a difficult enamelling technique which involves firing the glass into cells and removing the backing to create an effect like stained glass. When the cup is placed on a shaft of light it appears to be set with miniature stained-glass windows. Pieces decorated with this sort of enamel are known from inventories of people such as the great fourteenth-century patron

John, Duke of Berry John of Berry or John the Magnificent (French language, French: ''Jean de Berry'', ; 30 November 1340 – 15 June 1416) was Duke of Berry and Rulers of Auvergne, Auvergne and Count of Poitiers and Montpensier. His brothers were King Charles ...

, brother of king

Charles V of France Charles V (21 January 1338 – 16 September 1380), called the Wise (; ), was King of France from 1364 to his death in 1380. His reign marked an early high point for France during the Hundred Years' War as his armies recovered much of the terri ...

. This cup, however, is the only one to survive from this period.

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External links

Catalogue record
item 403:1, 2-1872 at the V&A Museum, London {{DEFAULTSORT:Merode Cup Collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum Silver-gilt objects Individual drinking vessels Works in vitreous enamel Medieval European metalwork objects

See also

Bibliography

External links