Seventeenth century silver gilt Augsburg beaker

Description

Antique silver beaker from Augsburg. Ca 1660-70. The beaker is decorated with chased wheat sheafs. This decoration normally referred to the harvest, and harvest festivals, and in religious terms a form of thanks giving for the blessings of harvest and its abundance. The decoration has pagan connotation as well since antiquity wheat and wheat siefs represented bountiful nature, and the “miracle” of nature. / Ceres ancient godess of agriculture, the harvest,and fertility – in the middle ages you lived or died of hunger , depending on a good harvest…- /

The interesting aspect of this beaker is that it has no makers mark… reason being it was probably made by a travelling “journey man” who has not yet had a registered mark with the guild of goldsmiths in Augsburg.

Journey man were apprentices who travelled European centers known for their silversmithing guilds , offered to work at rates below the going rates in order to learn and work with the master silver or goldsmith.

Once they settled down and passed the rigorous exam of the local guild they bacame masters with a registered makers mark and and guild members.

So this beaker is by one of these travelling journey man.

The piece is much better executed than one made be some of the contemporary Augsburg masters….

Height : 95 mm

Weight 97 gram

Original fire gilding, inside 80 % outside 50 % intact