Covered Cup 15th century German Rock crystal was valued most highly throughout history for its hardness and brilliant clarity. In the Middle Ages is was viewed by the Church as a symbol of unblemished purity, and thus a most appropriate material for containers of holy relics and for other ecclesiastical vessels. For kings, princes, and other high-placed persons, drinking vessels made of cut and highly-polished rock crystal and decorated with precious metals and jewels had great appeal. Various locations in Central and Western Europe have been suggested as fourteenth- and fifteenth- century centers for the cutting of crystals, including Paris, Burgundy, Prague, Nuremberg, Venice, and Freiburg im Breisgau. Rock-crystal vessels cut with a pattern of concave roundels, such as this beaker, are usually considered to be of French workmanship. The cut rock-crystal cup of the beaker is believed to be French; however, its bejeweled mounting is thought to have been executed not in France or Burgu