"German Allegorical Goblet"

A late 18th Century German allegorical goblet, stamped 13 and bunch of grapes, embossed and chased with Old Testament scenes, including David and Goliath, with archaic German inscription above, raised on a knopped stem to a pierced winged cherub base, 13.5cm, 190gm.  

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Height:                                       13.5 cm

Weight:                                       190 gm

Condition:                                  Excellent Original Condition

Circa:                                          Late 18th Century

Materials:                                   Continental Silver

SKU:                                            9486

ABOUT

German Allegorical Goblets

Late 18th-century German silver allegorical goblets with biblical motifs represent a refined fusion of Enlightenment classicism, Lutheran symbolism, and the long tradition of ceremonial drinking vessels in the German states. Made predominantly in Augsburg, Nuremberg, and Berlin, these goblets were often raised on baluster stems with repoussé bowls, richly chased in high-relief scenes from the Old and New Testaments. Popular subjects included the Sacrifice of Isaac, David and Goliath, the Judgment of Solomon, and allegorical personifications of Faith, Hope, and Charity, rendered in the neoclassical idiom with flowing drapery and architectural backdrops.

Such vessels were not merely devotional but intellectual objects, intended for educated patrons who valued moral exempla and biblical history as expressions of virtue, divine order, and princely legitimacy. The silver surface allowed for extraordinary sculptural modelling, with figural groups emerging almost as miniature bas-reliefs, framed by acanthus scrolls, laurel wreaths, and classical urns. Inscriptions in Latin or German often accompanied the imagery, reinforcing didactic meaning.

These goblets were frequently commissioned as presentation pieces for civic officials, university professors, or noble families, marking weddings, baptisms, or diplomatic occasions. They embody the late Enlightenment’s reverence for antiquity, Scripture, and craftsmanship, uniting theological narrative with the elegant rationalism of late Rococo and early Neoclassical design.