The stag is one of the most frequently encountered forms of animal-form welcome cups (Willkommpokal). The animal's association with hunting is clear, and it is likely that these cups were used to toast the success of a hunt or perhaps more wisely, given its capacity, to celebrate one afterwards. Stag cups are usually modelled leaping or walking with one leg raised and were made in silver from the end of the 16th century onwards, principally in Germany and Switzerland. The current lot is the only known Flemish example.

An unusual, and possibly unique, feature of the present lot is the removable antlers which lift off to reveal a small compartment in the head of the stag. This is mirrored in the base which also has a small compartment (now pinned shut).

The maker's mark on the current lot has not been identified with certainty, but presuming it is the letters 'LD', the initials and date of the piece fit with Louis Dellaye, whose widow features on the list of master goldsmiths of 1644/45 recorded in L'orfèvrerie en Hainaut, p.27 (see literature). This is the only known example of this maker's mark and the only known animal form cup from Mons.