Rijksmuseum
Drinking cup with a portrait of Emperor Charles V
Unknown artist
Whether an object is ‘religious’ or ‘secular’ in nature depends on its function. In the case of this cup, both apply. It bears a portrait of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, indicating that it originally was intended as a secular object. However, the inscription records that it served as a communion cup at the first Protestant service held in the Dutch town of Vlissingen in 1572.
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