goblet

This object shows two elegantly dressed men sharing a kiss and an embrace. They are David and Jonathon, biblical characters who embodied the concept of male friendship in society at this time. Unlike other goblets that depict the same scene, here, Jonathan steps on David’s foot. Research by Anna Laméris notes this action is the same one used by a network of men at the time to signal that one man was open to a physical relationship beyond friendship with another. The code allowed insiders who recognized it to identify one another without fear of being arrested, as homosexuality was illegal at the time.