3-017-069 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

Dragon Cup of the St. George's Rifle Volunteer Corps, 1865. 'This graceful little cup has been manufactured by Messrs. Ortner and Houle, St. James's-street, under the direction of Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon. C. H. Lindsay, commanding the St. George's Rifles, by whom it was originated as a rifle prize, in connection with the St. George's Challenge Vase...The Dragon Cup is of antique form, and at the same time original in its details. The stand is surmounted by a bound laurel wreath, the stem of which is engraved with the words, "The Dragon Cup," and the base is adorned with floreated leaves. The bowl of the cup is ornamented in the Grecian style, and embellished with bunches of the rose, shamrock, and thistle at intervals. On the front face...appears a Norman shield, intended to bear the inscription relative to the successful volunteer in the contest. The lid is surmounted with a dragon grasping a scroll, upon which will be inscribed the year when the cup was won. The handles are formed of a pair of weirdlike and fantastic winged dragons, clinging to the sides of the cup with distended mouths. The cup is of sterling silver, and is embellished with gold reliefs'. From "Illustrated London News", 1865.