Metallbägare

Metallbägare is a term used in Swedish to denote metal goblets or beakers that function as drinking vessels and ritual objects. In scholarship they are described as hollow metal vessels, often with a stem or foot, and frequently richly decorated. The word combines metall (metal) and bägare (goblet).

Materials include bronze, brass, silver, gold, and sometimes pewter or tin alloys. Production methods range from casting and hammering to raising and soldering. Decorations commonly feature engravings, punch-work, niello inlays, enameling, or inlay of precious stones.

Historically metallbägare appear in various European contexts from the late Bronze Age into the medieval period and beyond. They were used for everyday drinking among elites and for ceremonial libations at feasts, religious rites, and coronations. Their design—shape, size, and ornament—often reflected status and regional metalworking traditions.

Cultural significance centers on prestige, ritual function, and artistry. The exchange of a metallbägare could symbolize alliance, gift-giving, or sacred pacts, while motifs and inscriptions conveyed identity or protective associations.

In modern times metallbägare are primarily found in museums and private collections. They are studied by archaeologists and art historians, and contemporary metalworkers create reproductions and inspired works that highlight historical techniques and aesthetics.