We call this object a 'cup' but it could also be called a goblet. Like a wine glass, it has a foot and a stem that it stands on. That is why it is called a STANDING cup rather than an ordinary one that just sits with its bottom on the table.

 

We think we should be able to drink out of a cup, but can you imagine drinking out of this one? You would first have to take off its cover. Even then, it would be very difficult to hold. The stem is actually a tree trunk with a man leaning against it and spiky leaves above.

 

Even though it looks like a goblet and is called a cup, it is not for drinking from. If we look at it closely, we find clues telling us what it is. On the cover there is a stag (the horns have broken off) surrounded by dogs. A dead stag (its eyes are closed) lies on the base. A man in a green coat is blowing into a special kind of horn – a hunting horn, used to call dogs and hunters to a hunt.

Hundreds of years ago, when this cup was made, hunters usually wore green coats. This cup was made to tell the story of an unusual hunt that took place in 1739, when dogs chased the stag onto the roof of a hut, where the animal was killed. It was made for a prince who loved hunting, as a souvenir of that day. Then, only rulers were allowed to hunt so this cup not only tells the story of what happened that day but also shows us that this man was a prince.

 

The cup is like a trophy (think of the FA CUP). It was made for show, not for drinking. We call it a cup because of its shape, not its function.