Two-handled cup with cover

William Gilchrist  (Scottish, active 1736)

Date:
1752/53
Culture:
Scottish, Edinburgh
Medium:
Gold, ebony
Dimensions:
Overall (confirmed): 10 1/4 x 9 1/2 x 5 1/2 in., 22 oz. 5.3 dwt (26 x 24.1 x 14 cm, 0.6925kg)
Classification:
Metalwork
Credit Line:
The Jules Bache Collection, 1949
Accession Number:
49.7.89a, b
  • Description

    This gold cup was a race prize won on August 16, 1753, by Mr. Robert Fenwick’s bay mare, which was provocatively named Lady’s Thigh. The prize of one hundred guineas was put up by the king, and though the usual trophy was a gold teapot, in this case the winner chose to have a cup made. The unusual wood handles may have been used so that the allotted gold would make a larger cup.

  • Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

    Inscription: [1] NISI DOMINUS FRUSTRA, engraved above arms of Edinburgh [2] DIEU ET MON DROIT, engraved above crest of Great Britain.

    Marking: [1] W G in oval (maker's mark) [2] Triple towered castle on a rock (Edinburgh town mark) [3] HG (assay master's mark of Hugh Gordon, used by him from 1744-1759) (see image) [4] Script X (date letter 1752-1753) Location of marks: All on bottom, and on insetting rim of cover

  • Provenance

    Jules S. Bache (until 1949; to MMA)

120015746

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