The tradition of the German Wedding Cup dates back to the 1400s in Nurnberg Germany. The story of how it came to be can be found online. It’s a rather long story so I won’t reprint it here but the short version is that a wealthy nobleman lived with his daughter named Mistress Kunigunde. She fell in love with a young goldsmith but her father did not approve of the relationship. After a bout of deep depression affecting the daughter, the nobleman came up with a proposal. He told her if the goldsmith can make a chalice that two people can drink out of at the same time without spilling a single drop, she could become his bride. The goldsmith went to work and sculpted a young maiden goblet. The skirt of the maiden was hollow and served as one cup. The second cup was a bucket which the sculpted maiden carried over her head with extended arms. The bucket was crafted to swivel so that two people could drink from the cup without spilling a drop. The goldsmith had met the challenge and was allowed to marry the daughter. The new couple drank from the romantic bridal cup.
Today, the bridal cup remains a prized wedding tradition with the cup being a symbol of good luck, love, and faithfulness.
This ornate silver plate cup is used by a newly wed couple to toast their union. The bride sips from the cup which swivels above the woman’s head while the groom drinks from the upturned skirt. The statue measures about 8.5 inches tall. The skirt (or bottom cup) measures 4.5 inches deep. The swivel ‘bucket’ at the top measures 1.5 inches deep. The inside of both cups are gold in color and are in wonderful condition. There is a pink rhinestone embedded on the back of the dress. The big dark spots on my photos are reflections and are not part of the finish. I’ve spent quite a bit of time looking this cup over for any chips in the silverplating, and as far as I can tell, there are none. .
Also, I did see while doing research on this cup, a statement that said "Tarnish resistant - clean with a soft damp cloth. No silver polish." There is no maker's mark. This would be a lovely bridal shower or wedding present.
I obtained the cup at an estate sale, so the age is unknown to me. The owner of the estate sale company said her opinion would be a date of 1930s or 1940s. However, I can not guarantee that.
Buyer to pay USPS Priority Mail charges of $9.95. Shipping is from Arizona. Depending on where you are located, the shipping may be less as the weight is borderline between needing to mail by Priority Mail or regular mail, and if so I gladly refund an appropriate amount of that charge.
SPECIAL NOTE about SHIPPING CHARGES: Twice yearly and again in November for the holiday season (so 3 times each year) the postal service increases shipping charges. Previously, shipping charges were based on weight and zip code. Now, the postal service has divided the United States in to 8 zones and all packages are charged by weight, size, and destination zone. This year's increases have added an additional 1.36 cents to up to $4.03 on packages. I try to absorb some of the new charges and haven't increased my shipping charges in three years. This year, unfortunately, I have to increase the shipping. I'll try to keep it reasonable and even absorb some of the changes when possible.
About Combined Shipping:
I do combine shipping on multiple items purchased, but my web host is not set up to calculate multiple item shipping costs. At checkout, you will be charged full shipping price on each item purchased and I will refund the appropriate amount of over payment. If you are uncomfortable with that, send me a message with your zip code and stating which items you'll be purchasing and I'll calculate the correct combined shipping charges and send you a custom invoice.
INTERNATIONAL PURCHASES - No International purchases will be accepted. Due to claims that merchandise is not being received in various international countries (although Customs tracking verifies the delivery), I will no longer process international orders.
All items in my listings come from either estate or garage sales. I do not know if they came from homes where smoking or pets were present. All items are sold in the same condition as when I received them.
