Beaker

Engraved letters and numerals on this beaker date the work and may one day identify its patron. They surround a stylized shield ornament with a helmet, sword, and grapes. The patron likely donated this beaker to a guild or a corporation—possibly the local civic militia company—to which he belonged. Members of equal standing within these groups would use valuable beakers to share expensive alcoholic beverages. It is rare to find snakeskin ornament applied to such a bold and substantial object. There is a mark on the underside, the initials "PM" under a crown, but they are not contained within a shield. To date, the master who used such a mark remains unidentified; possibly the maker did not belong to the guild, and this may also explain the rudimentary quality of the engraving.