[0.800 SILVER] Austria-Hungary - 19th/20th century, 1872–1922 - Neoclassical-style cup

Goldsmith unknown, V.C., additional mark: Polish pawnshop mark.
Weight: 138 g.
Height: approx. 95 mm, diameter 85 mm
The cup has a compact, slightly bulbous shape. The body is cylindrical at the top, while below it tapers gently and transitions into a rounded bottom. The vessel rests on three large, spherical feet arranged symmetrically around the circumference of the base. The use of feet raises the body above the table surface and lends this small object a stately character.
The upper edge is framed by a wide, profiled rim, below which runs a relief ornamental frieze. It consists of rhythmically repeating, spirally coiled acanthus leaves, connected by a supple plant tendril. The ornamentation is set between smooth, horizontal moldings. The recesses of the decoration have retained a dark patina and localized greenish tarnish, thanks to which the leaf patterns remain distinct despite significant surface wear.
Oval medallions with relief figurative depictions are arranged on the smooth surface of the body. They depict nude or partially clothed figures rendered in an antique-style manner. They are accompanied by attributes, including a shield, a polearm, a branching twig, and plant-like elements. The depictions can be interpreted as images of deities, heroes, or personifications drawn from Greco-Roman mythology. However, the severe wear of the details does not allow for a completely certain identification of all the figures.
One of the medallions depicts a standing woman accompanied by a branch and a small animal or a plant fragment, which may indicate Diana. Another shows a man with a shield and an object resembling a trident or a spear, who may represent Neptune, Mars, or one of the ancient heroes. The attributes of the remaining figures are less distinct. The backgrounds of the medallions are finely dotted, which contrasts with the polished silhouettes.
The interior of the cup is gilded. The gilding served both a decorative and a practical purpose—it limited the beverage’s contact with the silver and protected the surface from certain substances.
The object’s form combines the neoclassical tradition with nineteenth-century historicism. The antique-style medallions, the acanthus band, the balanced proportions, and the spherical feet all draw on the decorative repertoire of late Classicism.