Cup on stand in horn - Germany circa 1700

This pretty wine cup probably of German origin, with a truncated cone shape resting on a circular wooden base, accent ued with a light horn veneer, dates from the 1700s.

The term "horn" refers to the organ located on the bony heads of cattle (oxen, buffaloes) and goats (sheep, goats) or on the terminal part of the feet of these mammals.
This living matter has an important symbolic value, in medieval literature for example, where the consumption of wine in a horn symbolizes warrior endurance and its physical qualities.

Since the Middle Ages, wine has been at the same time a drink, a medical prescription, a cooking ingredient or a pharmaceutical product because water was often not drinkable or was polluted. Every season has its wine, the summer rather clear and light, the winter strong and nourishing.