The Van Nispen tazza

This tazza (a saucer-shaped cup mounted on a foot), originally a drinking vessel, is a showpiece cup conceived for Balthasar van Nispen, Provost of the Brabant Mint. It is likely that Van Nispen himself had it made to commemorate the visit of the Archdukes Albrecht and Isabella. Another possibility is that the minters presented it to Van Nispen on the occasion of his marriage in 1621. The vessel is a fine specimen of silver-gilt (vermeil) work and shows the interior of a mint workshop, with minters at work in the foreground. Balthasar van Nispen is depicted in the middle. He is handing over what is presumably a coin to Archduke Albrecht and Archduchess Isabella. To the top of the scene are two putti with the crowned coat-of-arms of Spain. A banderole in Spanish carries the inscription ’I entrust the administration of justice to you to carry it out’. From the added engraved text, we know that this encounter took place on 26 August 1615. Depicted on the foot of the tazza are the coats-of-arms of Balthasar van Nispen, his wife and the Antwerp Mint, as well as emblems reminiscent of the minters’ craft. The coat-ofarms of Brabant is depicted on the stem.