Offered for sale
here is a small, hand made, solid sterling silver
two-handled cup. The cup was designed and made in our
shop and is sold exclusively by us. The cup’s shape
is based on a Greco-Roman wine-drinking cup called a
Kantharos. The form of our cup is more compressed than
a classical Kantharos but this provides it with
greater stability for the purpose it was intended. The
intended function of this cup is to serve as a
Tastevine, a wine tasting cup. It is far more
sophisticated in form than the usual big shallow
spoons used by Enophiles to taste wine. It evokes the
Dionysian origins of wine and pays homage to wines
earliest beginnings. It also serves well as a
Tastevine, it is a bit deeper but not too deep thus
preventing spills but still allowing the wine to
breath. I have also been told the cup it might serve
as a formal receptacle for the serving of table salt,
but that was not the intent when it was conceived and
made.
As stated above,
the cup is in the form of a Kantharos and was partly
inspired by a very famous ancient Kantharos in the
collections of the Staatliche Museum in Berlin. That
ancient cup was found as part of the famous Hildesheim
treasure and it dates to the early Roman Empire. The
twisted ivy vine handles on our cup are very similar
to those on the Hildesheim Kantharos. Ivy was sacred
to Dionysus and the wearing and display of it was
integral to his worship. It seemed only prudent to
invoke and placate the god of wine by including an
image of one of his sacred symbols on our wine cup.
The interior of our cup is gilded in 24k gold to
prevent any contamination to the wine it is to hold.
At the bottom of the cup the gilded countenance of the
Gorgon Medusa forms the Omphalos that all wine cups
should have. Medusa protects the wine and its consumer
from misfortune.
The cup stands 1
3/8 inches tall from the bottom of its base to the top
of its handle. The distance across the handles is
approximately 4 inches. The circumference of the cup’s
bowl is approximately 2 ½ inches. The cup’s bowl is
approximately 1 inch deep. The cup should be hung on a
long silver chain strung through one of its handles.
This is a limited production item (only three have
been made so far) and will be sold as each one becomes
available. This is a difficult piece to make, and the
price will vary with each piece.
This is a unique
wine taster, one that will be sure to turn heads at
your next wine tasting.
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