mazer

mazer, medieval drinking bowl of turned (shaped on a lathe) wood, usually spotted maple. The oldest extant examples, dating from the early 14th century, are mounted with silver or silver-gilt bands around the lip and foot and have an engraved or enameled embossed medallion, called a print or boss, in the centre of the inside of the bowl. During the 15th century the bowls became shallower, and their mounts, which became wider, displayed inscriptions of a religious or secular character; more elaborate versions of the simple prototype were also made, including the double-mazer, which has a small bowl inverted on a larger one, and the standing mazer, which has an unusually high silver foot. Mazers are extremely rare after the 16th century.