POSSIBLY SCOTTISH, PROBABLY EARLY 17TH CENTURY

Recent spectrographic analysis of these silver mounts indicates the metal alloy is consistent with that of works dating to the early 17^th century. At 893⁄1000, the standard of the present cup is closer to that of the Continental standard of 900⁄1000 than the English standard of 925⁄1000. The Scottish standard in the early 17^th century was closer to 917⁄1000, below that used in England. A possible Scottish attribution likely stems from around the time the cup was sold at Sotheby’s, London, 30 November 1967, lot 143, where it was noted that the coat-of-arms, although unidentified, 'have a distinctly Scottish flavour.' Another Scottish nautilus cup dating to 1611-16, known as the Heriot Cup, features an openwork stem and similarly lacks any lip mounts or applied figures (see I. Findlay, Scottish Gold and Silver Work, London, 1956, pl. 32).