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Could someone please tell me if this is some kind of fancy silver gilt souvenir or if it had an actual purpose. It measures about 4 1/2 inches high. Sadly it just has a single German mark, but no maker's mark.
Many thanks.




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Hello

Surface details show, that’s a sand cast reproduction of a median baroque period «Sturzbecher». Maybe it is one of «Hanau’s» reproduction products? Look: http://www.925-1000.com/Fgerman_hanau_marks_01.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The mark shown is German silver standard mark, officially in use from 1 January 1888. That’s signification is: It’s impossible to give a date of production — yours object could be made 1888 until some days before you’ve buy.

Reason that maker’s mark is missing I guess: this object was made in a little — maybe one employer only — work shop who delivered this object to one of bigger Hanau company’s or whole seller — and slipped there out of Maker’s mark punch processing.

It’s nearly impossible to get knowledge of the “real” maker (workshop) without local research — to get knowledge of Hanau whole seller would maybe of same difficulty and maybe only to be find out by local research too.

«Sturzbecher» (fall cup) were in use when two or more — most times male — person gets together. Each of these — in reality two — cup was filled with spirit of a high alcoholic degree. Then spirit must be drunk by rise one’s cup to the other and drink spirit contents in a fraction of a second (in German «herunterstürzen» = toss back in once).

For to prevent that guest don’t drink in one turn he get from owner the upper cup — which in full couldn’t be placed on a surface by missing a stand.

There exist for similar function several model e.g. «Brautbecher» - bride cup = e.g. an as a female sculptured object with a bottom long skirt; “skirt” is hinged by two diametric axis point and cup’s contents would be filled in skirt’s inside bowl or volume.

Kind regards silverport
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