Essex Jewelry and Antiques

Antique 1694 English Sterling Silver Timbrell 2 Handle Trophy Cup Mug

$5,040.00

Presented is a wonderful and very old sterling silver two-handled caudle cup made by Robert Timbrell during the reign of William and Mary. This 17th century, plain and much larger than average cup has a capped S-scroll handle on each side. The original presentation is engraved on the bottom of the cup, which reads "Church Plate, W. Bush Pastr. in Wapping, 1705."

The cup is fully hallmarked on the underside. All of the hallmarks have some wear as one would expect on a piece of silver that is over 310 years old, but all of the hallmarks are discernible, and the information is unquestionably correct. The hallmarks are the lion passant for sterling silver, the leopard's head crowned for London, the date letter ‘r’ for 1694, and the maker's mark for Robert Timbrell, exactly as represented in Grimwade's. The cup is also marked with the original scratch weights "oz dwt 11-2-0".

The cup has probably had a monogram removed from the center of one side, but this was very, very well done, and it is not noticeable. The only way I was able to determine this removal was because the silver is slightly thinner on one side, although this could have happened merely from polishing over the years. This is certainly not noticeable to the eye. The silver has not been reduced to foil thin; it is still quite strong. Both the handles have also been repaired at both the upper and lower joints as is commonly found on pieces this old. We have pointed this out in our photographs. This piece is, of course, completely handmade and the fine hand hammer marks are visible on the interior. Otherwise, this old cup is in excellent condition.

The cup is 4 ¼ inches tall and 7 ½ inches wide from handle to handle.

The weight is 326.4 grams or 11.4 ounces.