Cheers!

Throughout the centuries, raising a glass of a special beverage  has been a popular way to celebrate life events. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s recent exhibit “Relative Values: The Cost of Art in the Northern Renaissance” included three examples of  unusual vessels used for festivities in bygone eras.

 Drinking games have been popular at social gatherings throughout history. This earthenware puzzle bottle, from 16th-17th century France, required the drinker to decide which spout to drink from without being soaked by the others. Hilarious results entertained the tipsy participants as they passed it amongst themselves.

Called a “ Bottoms-Up Cup,” this example produced in Germany ca. 1550-70,  would have been used for a farewell toast to a departing traveler. Because they had no base and could not be set down, the contents were to be drunk in one gulp as the traveler departed on horseback.

Not all celebration cups were made of inexpensive ceramics created for the mass market. This cup in the shape of a shoe, produced in Germany in the late 16th century, was make from fine leather water-proofed with pitch or resin and trimmed in silver. Shoe cups were often associated with craft guilds and would have been passed from one member to another as they pledged their allegiance to the group.

Whatever your beverage of choice or container, “ Cheers!”