Silver miniature mill beaker, J.S. Zwanenburg & Son, Sneek, 19th century

Silver miniature windmill cup, made by the firm Jan Sjerps Zwanenburg & Zn from Sneek. Active from 1864 to 1900.

A windmill cup is one of the most fascinating and entertaining objects from the history of Dutch silver.

It is not an ordinary drinking vessel, but a so-called jesting cup or drinking game cup.

From the 17th century well into the 19th century, this cup was used during festive gatherings and weddings to enhance the atmosphere.

How did the drinking game work?

The unique thing about a windmill cup is that the cup rests upside down on the windmill when it's on the table. So, you can only put the cup down once it's completely empty. The game went as follows:

1. The cup was filled with wine or spirits.
2. The drinker had to blow hard through a small blowpipe (or tube) at the back of the windmill.
3. This made the sails spin rapidly.
4. At the same time, a small silver pointer on a dial (on the back of the windmill) often started to spin along.
5. The drinker had to empty the cup in one gulp before the sails stopped.
6. The number on which the pointer eventually stopped indicated how many additional cups the drinker had to empty as 'punishment', or how many rounds they had to skip.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, life-sized silver windmill cups were exclusive possessions for the wealthy bourgeoisie and nobility to impress guests. In the 19th and 20th centuries – the period in which makers like Zwanenburg were active – the windmill cup transformed into a beloved miniature object (display silver). Although they became too small to actually drink from, the ingenious mechanism with the working blowpipe and spinning sails remained perfectly intact.

The miniature is hallmarked with the sword mark for at least second-grade silver. Also hallmarked with master's mark JZ222.

In good condition.

Weight: 40.6 grams. Dimensions: 3 x 9.5 cm.