Kupaköpeny

The carving on the tankard shows the fateful wed-ding of Peleus and Thetis, one of the most famous events of Greek mythology. The wedding of the beautiful goddess and the mortal man — their child was Achilles — was celebrated by the gods with due pomp and ceremony. The representation shows the dramatic denouement of the day's events: Eris, the goddess of discord appears as an uninvited guest and throws a golden apple among the unsuspecting guests bearing the inscription "To the fairest of all the goddesses, springing from the groaning board, dispute among themselves for the apple. In the end, according to Euripides, they appealed to Paris to judge who was the most beautiful among them. The figural composition consists of three parts, which are stressed also by the architectural background: on the left is the group of musicians led by Apollo on the right the bridal couple sitting at the head of the table behind them are the servants and dancers at the other end of the table is Eris with the apple in her raised hand. The looks and gestures of the persons are all directed towards her. The brilliant execution brings out the characters of the figures and their connections the unknown master has followed an original composition which has not yet been identified. On the collar of one of the dogs watching out for the remains of the meal spread on the table — the one lying under the armchair of Peleus — is the date 1700.