Chocolate cup

Image: Chocolate Cup, Late 19th Century. Nelson Provincial Museum, Marsden Loan Collection: A1980.105

Hundreds of years ago hot drinking chocolate was a luxury.

Before it was available as a powder, hot chocolate was prepared by heating cacao beans in a special chocolate pot and then mixing in sugar, milk and spices. The drink was thick, required stirring and was usually served in a special cup, like the one you see here.

A chocolate cup is distinguished by the decorative piece on top of the lid (called a “finial”) which was once a hinged cap where a “molinet”, or stirring stick for the chocolate, was inserted. On this cup the rosette is the finial. Notice the lattice work that the cup sits inside? This is a “trembleuse” saucer, designed to help the cup stay firmly in place while being held by a frail or elderly person. The cup also has two handles to make it easier to hold.

Chocolate cups were very fashionable in the 17th and 18th century, but this particular one was made in the late 19th century and imitates the German-made Meissen design. This cup is part of a large set of fine china formerly owned by the Marsden family and used in IselHouse.