Cup

It has a slightly sloping cylindrical shape, and is ornamented with a continuous engraved composition: seven standing figures, the figure of the devil making a step to the left, and inscriptions. The standing figures represent the different layers of society at that period, and the devil symbolizes the temptation of evil, the danger of damnation. The figures and their inscriptions are following: crowned emperor with sceptre — "Ich regiere euch alle" (I rule over all of you), warrior with a gun on his shoulder — "Ich beschütze euch alle" (I protect all of you), a man playing the violin — "Ich erfreue euch alle" (I make all of you happy), courtesan in richly ornamented dress — "Ich verfuehre euch alle"(I seduce all of you), peasant embracing with his right hand the courtesan, with a harrow in his left hand — "Ich ernähre euch alle" (I feed all of you") protestant theologist and a friar, turning to each other, in their right hand an open book of the Bible, their common inscription being — "Ich bete fur euch alle" (I pray for all of you), the figure of the devil with a fork in his hand — "Hietet euch, oder ich holle euch alle" (Watch out, or I will bring you all into Hell). The theme and composition of this representation follows the scheme of the moralising, didactical, religious tracts of the baroque period. The models for it were the twelve allegorical representations with engraving ornamentation and with similar composition, inscriptions and figures which were published in Augsburg at the beginning of the 18th century by Albrecht Schmid, who was well-known as an engraver and publisher.