Wedding cup from Lille with hearts

The most interesting feature of this cup, which has a simple shape, is its engraved motifs of two interlaced hearts, birds and flowers, a traditional pattern used to decorate cups offered as wedding gifts.

Frequently mentioned in archive documents, this wedding cups are a symbol of fidelity rather than wealth. Pewter was a thriving industry during the 3th to 5th centuries but seems to have declined during the Early Middle Ages.
However it reappeared during the 12th century when it reached its peak and led to the creation of numerous workshops to produce such cups.