Michiel Esselbeeck (1611 - 1671)

In Deventer and some other cities, it was tradition for the city to have a cup made when a magistrate died during his term of office. A particularly fine example of such a so-called councillors' cup is this specimen from 1660. Amsterdam silversmith Michiel Esselbeeck commissioned this cup from the city of Deventer, in memory of mayor Adriaen van Boeckholt, who died that year. The 90 cm high cup is richly decorated with floral motifs and human and animal figures, including several bucks referring to Van Boeckholt's coat of arms.

That this councilors' cup has survived is a minor miracle. Often silver objects were melted down at some point. Because fashions changed, or because the owner wanted to monetise them. This even happened to objects in city ownership. In 1672, this cup too was in danger of being melted down. Thanks to the family of the deceased, who bought the cup, it escaped. In 1953, Deventer got the chance to buy it back. Although the municipality wanted to display the cup in the town hall and not in the museum, the Rembrandt Association contributed, on condition that the municipality would increase its annual contribution to the De Waag Association. So it did, and the cup has since been on display in Museum De Waag during exhibitions for many decades again.

Maker: Michiel Esselbeeck (1611 - 1671)
Title: The cup that survived Disaster Year 1672
Period: 1600-1700
Collection: Museum De Waag with the support of Vereniging Rembrandt in 1953
Material: (Gilded) Silver | H 90 cm