Wassail Cup

Traditionally these cups would have been made for communal use with a number of smaller vessels for individual drinking. The drink would be based on apple juice, cider but enhanced with a variety of spirits and spices. The little cup on the top of the finial was use to hold and measure the spices. The originals would probably be made of lignum vitae, a wood no longer available commercially. The inside has been coated with a lacquer to render tem usable.