Mether

This is a mether, a communal or friendship drinking cup from the sixteenth or seventeenth century. Methers were originally for drinking mead, an alcoholic drink made from honey. 

This mether is made from wood. It has four handles, one protruding from the centre of each side. Every handle has a lobe reaching down as far as the base, like four legs. Dark brown, with a reddish tint like old mahogany, its outside surface has a slight sheen. This surface is decorated with shallow engravings in a V-shaped or X-shaped design.

This mether is 9 cm high, the length of an adult middle finger. The cup is square at the top, being 6 cm across, the length of a thumb. It narrows downwards in a graceful curve to 5 cm at the base. Also, the profile changes from the top to the bottom: square at the lip and round at the base.