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1661

Caudle Cup and Cover

Artist/maker unknown

Caudle, a drink popular in the late seventeenth century, was made of warm ale or wine mixed with bread or gruel, eggs, sugar, and spices. Bellied cups such as this one were popular in England during the reign of Charles II (1660-1685). The deeply chased floral decoration is typical of that on the more elaborate, and thus costly, cups of the period. The flat finial on the lid permitted the cover to double as a stand and provided a visible place for an engraved coat of arms.

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