The Sun.
London, England, 1858-07-09 00:00:00

GOODWOOD, 1858,

One of the prizes to be run for atGoodwood this
year will not only be really what its name implies,
" a cup," but in fact two cups, since in adopt-
ing the novelty, or rather in returning to the old
fashion, of utility, for the Goodwood Cup of 1858,
the liberality of the manufacturer has sought
further distinction by doubling, not dividing, the
prize. Nor has the old form which has been chosen
by Mr. C. F. Hancock, that of the tankard, or
covered cup, been permitted to depreciate the value
of the Plate, regarded as a monument of the ad-
vance of the goldsmith's art in this country. On
the contrary, the shape ()Who cups affords scope
for a rivalry with some of the celebrated works of
mediceval artists, and has resulted in a success of
which Be nvenuto Cell'ini himself might have
b6asted. The two cups weigh 333 ounces, and
stand 19 inches high, on pedestals of 3i inches.
The form is very elegant and pleasing to the eye,
the body of the tankard swelling out in beautiful
proportions, bulb-like, in the centre, while it
springs from a base which is made to exceed the
circumference of its centre by a highly elaborated
continuation of the subject represented on the cup
itself. The mode in which ii recedes to the lip,
and so unites and harmonises with the cover, is
exceedingly artistic. The handle is formed by
youns, satyrs entwined, with a dolphin as the finial.
On the cups themselves, worked out in high relief,
with masterly execution, are on the one the battle
of Alexander and Darius, and on the other the battle
of Hannibal and Scipio, both subjects taken from
Le Brun's grand pictures. The force and spirit
of the action are finely preserved ; the figure
of Alexander, advancing in the full impulse of a
charge, and pushing his way through the throng of
combatants, on to where DJrius, aloft in his chariot,
throwing down his useless bow, turns his horses to
flee, is admirably animated and vigorous. The
eagle flying over the conqueror's head, at once
leads to and denotes the victory. The confusion of
the battle, the triumph, and the defeat, are each
marked cut by various groups, all in high relief,
especially the grand combat between a foot soldier
and a horseman, in which the foreshortening of the
animal is a conspicuous evidence of the artist's
skill. The chariots and the elephants, the spears
of the advancing hosts, as they come up in serried
ranks, the melk of combatants, the wounded and
the dying, all the majesty and terrors of war, are
elaborated in a :,tyle which is in no resptct inferior
to the most lauded triumphs of mediaeval art in
works of this character. There can be little doubt
that the adoptieu of the present form of cups will
meet with general approbation. The modeller's
fancy in regard to racing "Plate" is sometimes
complex, seldom suitable, not always intelligible,
' and invariably without utility. In the present
instance there is a grandeur of design, perfection
in execution, and a manifest adaptation to the pur-
pose for which "cups" were originally intended—
an ornament for the sideboard, and an addition to
the richness and elegance of the tabie. These cups
have been manufactured by Mr. 0. F. Hancock, of
Bruton-street, and will, doubtless, be selected as
the chief prizes for the ensuing Goodwood Meeting.
They will be exhibited fur a short time in Bruton-
street.

MARKET NEWS.—(This Day )