Cagework cup and cover

This cup is a particularly fine example of a cagework vessel, a comparatively unusual form of Restoration plate. The cup is characteristic of the best Restoration plate, with its emphasis on surface texture, rich embossing and piercing, colour contrasts and figurative motifs. The naturalism found in the work of late Stuart goldsmiths was derived from the Dutch style, soon to be superseded by French baroque classicism. The outer sleeve of the cup is detachable and made of white silver which is embossed, pierced and chased. It is superimposed over the gilt inner vessel. The cover likewise has a superimposed cagework section. The type is probably Germanic in origin and appears to have been taken up by English goldsmiths with only a limited degree of popularity.