Stirrup Cup (Fox Mask) (Primary Title)
Fox Head Stirrup Cup (Alternate Title)
Staffordshire, English, founded ca. 1610 (Artist)
Before a hunt, elegant silver vessels were used to offer refreshment to riders on
horseback, a practice that earned them the name “stirrup cups.” Their characteristic
form did not include a base but was usually a novel animal shape that could be held
while mounted on a horse and easily handed off to an attendant. These particularly
sophisticated examples in the neoclassical style represent the traditional quarry of
the hunt—the deer and the fox. Their respective designs refer to the type of silver
drinking vessels that were being excavated by archaeologists in Italy. These ancient
Roman cups were immensely popular among collectors.
Gift of the Estate of Mrs. Ailsa Mellon Bruce, by exchange
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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