Libational cups

This morning's wild goose chase was triggered by the word 'patère' in the current Maigret, 'Liberty-Bar', already mentioned at reference 1.

Larousse talks of things on walls for the hanging of hats, coats and curtains.

While Littré talks of ceremonial cups used for libations during sacrifices, morphing into a piece of wall furniture, favoured by the petit bourgeoisie, of roughly the same shape and used for the hanging of hats, coats and curtains.

The images turned up by google are mostly entirely ordinary coat hooks and wall mounted coat racks. The sort of thing you might buy in John Lewis or Ikea. No curtains. But one was that illustrated left, a genuine ceremonial cup. I think in real life that it is a few inches, say three to four, across.

Roughly according to the Library of Congress: 'This gold patera, known as the Patère de Rennes, was used for drinking and in ceremonial libations, is decorated with imperial coins bearing the portraits of Roman sovereigns from Hadrian to Geta ... A bas-relief in the center of the cup symbolizes the triumph of wine (Bacchus) over strength (Hercules). Found in Rennes in 1774, the patera was deposited by order of Louis XV (1715–1774) in the Department of Coins, Medals and Antiquities... From the first half of the 3rd century A.D. and presently to be found at the Bibliothèque nationale de France with catalogue number Chabouillet number 2537'. I think Chabouillet was a famous French antiquary.

I am still working on what all this has to do with the Library of Congress. See reference 1. You have to do better than just shove 'Chabouillet 2537' into the search box to get there.

Reference 1: http://psmv3.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/just-back-from-short-break-at-lamb-at.html.

Reference 2: https://www.loc.gov/.