Commissioned by Augustus the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, to commemorate the state visit to Dresden in January 1728 of the king and queen of Prussia, parents of Frederick the Great. The queen’s initials, SD for Sophie-Dorothea, are three times displayed. The larger finial figure of Athena is closely related to a silver statuette in the Electoral collections at Dresden, made by Philipp Kuesel of Augsburg before 1700. The turquoise ground has reserves with gold-lace borders painted by Heroldt with colorful chinoiserie figures in idyllic landscapes. This splendid cup illustrates that interesting phase of early Meissen production when the compelling influence of all things Chinese had been superseded by a temporary dependence on silver shapes; the lure of the Orient continued in the painted decoration.