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Group shot: 2006.642, 2006.644, 2006.646, 2006.649, 2006.653
Five hanaps from a group of twelve
Group shot: 2006.642, 2006.644, 2006.646, 2006.649, 2006.653

Five hanaps from a group of twelve

about 1395–1424
Medium/TechniqueSilver, partially gilded, basse-taille enamel
DimensionsOverall (2006.642): 6 x 18.6 cm (2 3/8 x 7 5/16 in.)
Overall (2006.644): 6 x 18.2 cm (2 3/8 x 7 3/16 in.)
Overall (2006.646): 6 x 18.4 cm (2 3/8 x 7 1/4 in.)
Overall (2006.649): 4.1 x 16.7 cm (1 5/8 x 6 9/16 in.)
Overall (2006.653): 4.1 x 17.5 cm (1 5/8 x 6 7/8 in.)
Credit LineMuseum purchase with funds donated anonymously and Frank B. Bemis Fund
Accession number2006.642-653
On View
Not on view
ClassificationsSilver
Collections
Description
These five drinking cups belong to a magnificent set of thirteen, which is an exceedingly rare survival of the secular silver produced in France during the reign of Charles VI (reigned 1380-1422), a period of lavish display and exquisite technical refinement in the decorative arts. In addition to twelve shallow drinking bowls, or hanaps, the group contains a silver-gilt footed cup (see acc. no. 2006.641), finely decorated with a type of punched decoration.  Silver cups, used at splendid feasts, ranked among the most precious items in an aristocratic household.  Three of the hanaps pictured here are set with enamel medallions representing the coats of arms of Amauri d'Orgemont (died 1400) and his wife Marie Paillard (died after 1424), prominent members of the Valois court in Paris.
Inscriptions# 1 in magic marker under footProvenanceAbout 1395/1424, Amaury d'Orgemont (b. about 1360 - d. 1400) and his wife, Marie de Paillart (b. about 1355 - d. after 1424), France [see note 1]. 19th century until about 2005, private collection, Switzerland. 2005, Alexander Rudigier, Ltd., London; 2005, sold by Rudigier to the MFA. (Accession Date: January 25, 2006)

NOTES:
[1] The six silver cups that comprise this set (MFA accession nos. 2006.642 - 2006.647) bear the arms of Amaury d'Orgemont and Marie de Paillart, members of the court of Valois. The exact circumstances of the commission are not known. Amaury may have received the cups as a gift; he may have commissioned them for his own use, or his wife may have commissioned them after his death in 1400.