Covered Cup with Grape Festoon
1504
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1504
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a fancy silver cup wrapped in a garland of grapes, leaves, and vines. This cup was probably made for a French king’s hunting lodge in the 1500s. The king hired Italian artists to decorate the place, and this painting might be a copy of their work. It’s like a snapshot of the king’s taste—rich, detailed, and a little showy. Look up the technique called *sfumato* to see how artists softened edges like this.
