Commemorative Cup from the Coronation of James II © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

This gilt cup was made from silver recycled from the canopy bells used during the coronation of James II (1633-1701) in 1685. The canopies were carried by the Barons of the Cinque Ports: Dover, Hastings, Hythe, Romney, Rye, Sandwich, and Winchelsea. After the ceremony, the silver was divided between the barons. Two barons from the same family, Chesheld and Gawden Draper, combined their share of the silver to make this commemorative cup.

 
On one side, the cup portrays four ‘chinoiserie’ figures carrying a canopy, thus recording the original purpose of the silver. The actual coronation procession with canopies were illustrated in Francis Sandford’s elaborate The History of the Coronation of James II (1687). The Draper coat of arms adorns the reverse.