Tankard with cover - depicting the Wise and Foolish Virgins

Circular foot with plain rim, with drop motifs around the foot band. On the body are figural scenes in big cartouches formed of foliage. One of them is the allegory of profane leisure: five young women, beautifully dressed, with cards, harp, arrow, bow and mirror. On the other one there are also young women, but with books, a night-light, dogs and flowers. According to the interpretation of Aron Petneki, it is the representation of the story of the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25, 1—13.). The coat is fastened above to the silver body with a gilt soldered band. It has a scroll handle, attached to the cover with a wide hinge. The thumbpiece is a double winding foliage. Above the plain rim is the same drop- shaped, blistered ornament as that of the foot in the middle the medallion of John Casimir (Janos Kazmer) is soldered. A cast openwork basket having the shape of a truncated cone attached to it on the upper side with a perpendicularly soldered hinge. The sides of the basket are made of trophies connected with S-shaped foliated scrolls. The basket is closed at the top with another medallion: the portrait of Charles XII, King of Sweden, in a beaded setting. These two medallions refer to the Treaty of 18th November. 1705 between John Casimir and Charles XII by which Sweden guaranteed the territorial integrity of Poland. On the foot, engraved on the rim: Elbing: d. 1. Jan. A.: 1706. Gabr. A: A. According to Aron Petneki this represents the name of Gustaf Gabriel Appelmann, who had made it for the christening of his first son, and set it in the gifts from his fellow officers, the medallions. Gustaf Gabriel Appelmann must have had an important role in the life of the city of Elbing during the time of Swedish invasion. An iconographic analogy of the group of wise and foolish virgins is a silver-plated prayer book from the beginning of the 1700's (Cat. No. 4.33-). The inscription of the medallion of John Casimir is: "POST BELLUM PLENASURGIT PAX AUREA MESSE. HINC SPERAT MERITAM GEDANI CONSIANTIA ERUGEM". On the obverse side of the medallion of Charles XII, King of Sweden: CAROLUS:XII D: G: REX SVEGIS, written around it, and under the bust of the emperor is the inscription: "QUO NON FRIESTAN TIOR ARMIS". On the reverse: "ITESTES VIRTUIIS ET PRUDENTIAE", with the names of the allies under it: NARVA, DUNAM, CRACOV, RIGA, VARSOV, THORUM, below ELBING 1703.