The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of August 13, 2026

A silver gilt trophy cup features an urn-shaped body and a lid crowned with a pinecone finial. Radiating vertical ridges decorate the cover and foot. A central oval medallion, depicting horses and human figures, is framed by draped floral garlands. Two slender handles arch outward from the rim. Acanthus leaf motifs encircle the lower body above a narrow neck, while floral patterns ring the flared circular base.

Trophy Cup and Cover

1792–1793

Peter Bateman

(British, 1740–1825)

Anne Bateman

(British, 1748–1813)
England, 18th century
silver gilt
Overall: 59.7 x 40 cm (23 1/2 x 15 3/4 in.)
Anonymous gift in memory of Margaret Quayle Kerruish; the Thomas S. Grasselli Memorial Collection, and various donors by exchange 1968.30
Location: 203A British Painting and Decorative Arts

Did You Know?

The graceful form of this trophy by Peter Bateman and his sister-in-law Anne Dowling Bateman is reminiscent of the elegant designs produced by their mother Hester Bateman (1708–1794), one of the most celebrated female silversmiths of all time.

Description

Silver fulfilled a prominent role in projecting wealth, status, power, and ritual in British life during the 1600s and 1700s. Elaborate forms such as this trophy, with its swags of flowers, neoclassical rosettes, acanthus spears, and acorn finial, not only represented wealth in its sheer silver weight but also provided royal and aristocratic owners a surface for displaying engraved coats of arms. Engraved on one side of this trophy cup can be found the arms of Robert Grosvenor (1767–1845), the first Marquess of Westminster, and Lady Eleanor Egerton (1770–1846), whom he married in 1794, a year after the trophy’s completion. The other side depicts preparations for a horserace, the most culturally significant leisure activity enjoyed by aristocratic families in the 1700s. Grosvenor owned a number of famous horses and was likely awarded this trophy following a successful race.
  • 1968-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Mentioned and reproduced: p. 230-234, figs. 1-3 www.jstor.org
  • British Gallery Reinstallation (June 2020). The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer).
    Year in Review: 1969. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 27-February 22, 1970).
    No legacy exhibitions.
  • {{cite web|title=Trophy Cup and Cover|url=false|author=Peter Bateman, Anne Bateman|year=1792–1793|access-date=13 August 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1968.30