Double Cup (Mazer)

A characteristic form of drinking vessel made of close-grained wood, especially maple, was developed in Germany as early as the thirteenth century. It consisted of a larger cup with a foot and a handle and a smaller cup on top. The upper one served as a lid but could also be removed and used as a separate drinking vessel. In this example the smaller upper cup is inset with a memorial portrait medallion of Albrecht Dürer made in the year of his death, 1528. The medal is the work of Matthes Gebel who was active in Nuremberg and Augsburg as a medallist from 1523 to his death in 1574. The reverse of the medal is set into the base of the larger lower cup.