Silver Mounted Coconut Cup

A very fine, rare early 19th century Spanish colonial silver mounted coconut cup, most likely a 'mate cup' for 'yerba mate'. Yerba mate, for those unfamiliar, is a type of infused tea that has been popular throughout South America since the early colonial period. It is consumed in a mate cup, usually made from a gourd or a coconut, and sucked through a filtered straw called a 'bombilla'.

This cup is especially fine, with deeply carved birds, a pierced silver base and a silver scroll handle.

Dimensions: approximately 4.25 inches wide x 3.25 inches. 

Condition: excellent, original. 

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