VISU member Hanne Schonkeren discovered that the famous sixteenth-century ornamental cup, preserved in the city hall of Veere, was made in Antwerp. The cup, a sixteenth-century gift from Charles V for nobleman Maximilian of Egmont, is traditionally presented to the reigning Dutch King or Queen, whenever he/she visits the city. As the cup bears no hallmarks, the provenance of the precious object has been a mystery for centuries. An analysis of the making process and techniques demonstrated that the cup bears striking similarities to the Founders' Cup, an Antwerp cup kept at Emmanuel College in Cambridge.
The recent visit of King Willem-Alexander to the city of Veere on 27 August, where he toasted the city's prosperity with the cup, highlighted these research results to a wider, non-academic audience. Interviews with Hanne were published in the Belgian newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen and the Dutch newspaper Provinciale Zeeuwse Courant, and the research was also featured on the news page of Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
A comprehensive article will be published in the peer-reviewed journal Oud Holland – Journal for Art of the Low Countries in early October.