The Royal Gold Cup
Medieval, about AD 1370-80
From Paris, France
A diverse and international history
This cup is made of solid gold and lavishly decorated with
translucent enamels. The scenes shown on it relate to the life and
miracles of St Agnes.
Agnes was imprisoned in a brothel as punishment for refusing to
marry Procopius, son of the prefect Sempronius, in the time of the
Emperor Constantine (reigned AD 306-337). She subsequently restored
Procopius to life when he was strangled by a demon. Although he was
repentant, Agnes was not spared her fate, and was condemned to
burn. However, the flames had no effect on her, and she had to be
killed with a spear. The cover of the cup is devoted to this
section of the story, with each scene explained by a Latin
inscription.
The bowl shows St Agnes' burial, the martyrdom of her sister
Erementiana by stoning (St Agnes appears at the scene with three
virgin martyrs carrying palms), and the healing of Princess
Constantia of leprosy. The foot of the cup is decorated with the
symbols of the Evangelists; the interior of the bowl and cover
contain enamels of St Agnes receiving instruction, and God in
Majesty.
The cup was given formally to Charles VI of France (reigned
1380-1422) by Jean Duc de Berry (1340-1416) on the occasion of his
visit to Tourraine in 1391. However, it is unlikely that it was
made for this occasion since the two men had been on bad terms, and
the meeting was something of a reconciliation. It is possible that
the Duc de Berry had the cup made for his brother Charles V (who
was born on St Agnes' day, 21 January). Charles died in 1381 before
it was completed, and so it was given to Charles VI when he and his
uncle met.
The cup later came into the hands of John, Duke of Bedford
(1391-1447). It is then mentioned in various royal accounts of
the Tudors. Two extra bands have been inserted in the stem of the
cup, the first of which is decorated with enamelled Tudor roses
dating to the period of Henry VIII (reigned 1509-47). The second
carries an inscription which relates to the peace between James I
of England (reigned 1603-25) and Philip III of Spain (reigned
1598-1621), in 1604.
At this point the cup left England and remained somewhere
unknown in Spain, until 1883 when it was offered for sale on the
Paris market by a convent in Burgos. It was bought by Baron Pichon,
who subsequently sold it to a Bond Street dealer in London where
Augustus Wollaston Franks purchased it for £8,000. The cup was
acquired by the British Museum in 1892 through a combination of
public subscription and Franks' own contribution.
J. Robinson, Masterpieces: Medieval Art (London, British Museum Press, 2008)
J. Stratford, The Bedford inventories (Society of Antiquaries, 1993)
O.M. Dalton, The Royal Gold Cup in the Brit (London, 1924)
J. Cherry, Medieval craftsmen: goldsmiths (London, The British Museum Press, 1992)