Terms and conditions of use
Beaker
(c. 1725)
- Medium
- glass (black enamel), silver-gilt
- Measurements
- 10.2 × 7.7 cm diameter
- Place/s of Execution
- Silesia, Bohemia
- Accession Number
- 2019.1107
- Department
- International Decorative Arts
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of Peter and Ivanka Canet through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, 2019
© Public Domain - Gallery location
- Gallery 18
Level 3, NGV Australia - About this work
-
This thistle-shaped beaker is decorated with the coat of arms of the von Restorf family, members of the German nobility of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. On the reverse, a hound stands in a landscape with the inscription ‘Fideliter’ (fidelity) below. Throughout history, dogs have been symbols of faithfulness. The word ‘fidelity’, which derives from the Latin word fidus, meaning trust, can be linked to a generic name given to dogs: Fido. The decorative combination here of a dog and a coat of arms suggests that this beaker may have been a wedding gift.