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The Bridge Collection
9,000 YEARS OF DRINKING

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THE BRIDGE COLLECTION - 9000 YEARS OF DRINKING

The Bridge Collection is a comprehensive collection of drinking vessels, that shines a light on the stories and customs associated with drinking, it's daily use and in rituals, commemorations and celebrations.

The collection is a journey through time, telling the story of humanity through the evolution of drinking vessels, from earliest civilisations to the present day.

With more than 1,800 vessels and glasses on display, the oldest piece in the collection dates back to the year 7000 BC.

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450 A.D.

This beaker is decorated in relief in the form of a bearded male face, with a straight nose and big eyes, short moustache and wide beard, adorned with curly hair.
These beakers are typically found in the Rhineland and Danube regions of the Western Roman Empire.

ca. 1600

This small bowl in tinted agate and smoked tones, was carved from a single block of mineral.
The type of the mineral used and its shape suggest that the cup originated from Guazarate, a province in North-western India.

Agate and gold cup the bridge collection

Black ceramic chalice the bridge collection

ca. 1662

This black ceramic chalice from the Chinese Kangxi dynasty has a Lac burgauté style decoration - an Asian technique.
In the centre of the piece there is a poem inscribed in Mandarin about spring. A pagoda and a bridge in a rocky landscape, plants and trees, are all inlaid in bright and iridescent fragments of mother-of-pearl.

ca. 1700

This jade cup from Mughal Empire, India, and was used to drink wine or to take opium dissolved in wine mixed with spices - a practice strongly encouraged by Mongol Emperors.
One of the curious aspects of this piece is its provenance. It belonged to the collection of Elsa Schiaparelli, a famous Italian designer and rival of Coco Chanel.

Libation cup in jade the bridge collection

ca. 1000

This beaker is decorated in relief in the form of a bearded male face, with a straight nose and big eyes, short moustache and wide beard, adorned with curly hair.
These beakers are typically found in the Rhineland and Danube regions of the Western Empire.