Coconut cup

A coconut cup is a variety of standing cup, made and used in Western Europe in the 15th and 16th Centuries, with a revival in Georgian England.



History
It is probable that the earliest standing cups referred to as hanaps had turned wood (mazer-like) bowls with covers. Later ones have bowls formed of silver or of a coconut or ostrich egg with silver mounts. Cups with coconut bowls (see illustration) mounted in silver or silver-gilt and raised on a stem and foot, or multiple feet, were fashionable rareties in Western Europe in the late 15th century and throughout the 16th century. They were revived for a short period nearly three centuries later.

Notes and references

 * CINOA
 * Collectors Weekly
 * Luc Duerloo and Werner Thomas (eds), Albert & Isabelle, 1598-1621. Catalogue, exhibition catalogue Brussels 1998, numbers 218, 222.
 * R. Fritz, "Kokosnootbokalen vervaardigd in de Nederlanden" (Coconut cups crafted in the Low Countries), Antiek 13 (1979): 673-731.