Renaissance-style Solid Silver Tankard, Germany, Circa 1900

Solid silver beer mug with lid, interior gilded in vermeil – Germany, early 20th century – Chester, 1913

A large, lidded beer mug made of solid silver, with an interior entirely gilded in vermeil, crafted in Germany in the early 20th century based on a mid-17th-century model.

The cylindrical body, slightly flared toward the base, rests on a wide, molded circular foot and features a rich engraved design of scrolls, volutes, and stylized foliage, set against a finely engraved background. The domed lid, hinged, features the same ornamental motifs.

The handle, which is particularly intricately crafted, is adorned with volutes, flowers, and a female bust sculpted in the round. It is topped by a large thumb rest that allows the lid to be opened.

The body is also decorated with several medallions depicting ancient coins from Germanic territories, notably Saxony, featuring portraits of rulers, heraldic compositions, and Latin inscriptions. These medallions were likely produced at the time the tankard was made and are therefore not reused ancient coins.

The piece faithfully reproduces the large German ceremonial tankards of the mid-17th century, in which the goldsmiths of Augsburg, Nuremberg, and Saxony had specialized. The incorporation of coins and medals into goldsmith’s work was particularly popular at the time.

This tankard belongs to the historicist movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, characterized by a revival of German Renaissance and Baroque forms and decorations.

It bears German hallmarks as well as British import hallmarks from the Chester Assay Office for the year 1913, which allow us to date its manufacture to no later than that year.

Weight: 510 grams; capacity: 60 cl