Mate Cup
1875–1900
Object PlaceUruguay
Medium/TechniqueSilver, nut
Dimensions10.5 x 10 x 7.8 cm (4 1/8 x 3 15/16 x 3 1/16 in.)
Credit LineGift of Miss Ellen Graves, Mrs. Samuel Cabot and Mrs. Roger Ernst in memory of their father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. Edmund P. Graves
Accession number41.389
On View
On viewClassificationsSilver hollowware
DescriptionThe small growth at the side of this bottle gourd was commonly employed as a handle on mate cups. Silver fittings were added to the finer examples. These forms were particularly favored in Uruguay. A separate ring-shaped base, now lost but often made of silver, was intended to hold the cups upright when not in use.
This text has been adapted from "Silver of the Americas, 1600-2000," edited by Jeannine Falino and Gerald W.R. Ward, published in 2008 by the MFA. Complete references can be found in that publication.
