The design of this cup is based on a drawing by Dürer, of c.1500, now in the British Museum. The gnarled trunk-like stem with small creatures among its roots is typical of the motifs used by Dürer. The design was adapted, however, for the taste of George IV, probably by the young Pugin, who admired and copied a number of Dürer’s works, and the bowl bears less resemblance to the original drawing.