BRITISH
The Rillaton cup
Early Bronze AgeRCIN 69742
This ancient work of art demonstrates the enduring qualities of gold. An extremely rare survival from this period, the cup is formed from a single ingot of gold, and must have been worked using tools of bone or stone. It was discovered in Rillaton, Cornwall, inside a ceramic vessel which helped preserve its form. It seems to have been decorated with small punched shapes although these are now mostly lost.