Silver miniature goblet, R. Scheltens, Groningen, c. 1860

Silver miniature of a goblet or rattle cup, made by the silversmith R. Scheltens from Groningen. He was active from 1858 to 1889.

During the 19th century, there was enormous demand among collectors for 'historic silver' from the Golden Age and the 18th century. Silversmiths such as Scheltens used the old molds of 18th-century Amsterdam masters to recast and release these popular miniatures as quality replicas or collector's items.

This object is a replica miniature rattle cup (or miniature goblet) in Renaissance style, modeled after rattle cups from the 17th century (circa 1650-1671).

The openwork stem or shaft features three ornate volutes (curls) ending in stylized animal heads (often mythical creatures or dolphins). Silver rings hang from these curls. This makes it a so-called rattle cup, a type of drinking cup that was also given to children at the time because the rattling sound was believed to ward off evil spirits.

The miniature is hallmarked with the master's mark RS2 and the dolphin tax mark.

An important characteristic of Scheltens is that, in addition to the legal Dutch hallmarks (such as the sword mark for silver content), he often stamped historical pseudo-hallmarks. He did this to give his miniatures the appearance of antique 18th-century silver. This miniature also features pseudo-hallmarks.

The miniature is in good condition.

Weight: 22.7 grams. Dimensions: 3 x 5.5 cm.

Check here the blog about the world of R. Scheltens: The Groningen Silversmith of Historical Silver with Pseudo-Hallmarks