The Altar Cup of Aagerup
Illustration by Richard Doyle
This evocative illustration by Doyle is based upon a traditional Danish tale that tells of the capture of a trolls' ceremonial
cup by a farmer's servant.
That tale is described in the following manner by A W Moore in Folklore of the Isle of Man (1891):
One Christmas Eve a farmer's servant in the village borrowed his master's horse and
rode down to see the "troll meeting", and while he was wondering to see how well
and gaily the little dwarfs danced, up came a troll to him and invited him to dismount
and take a share in their merriment. Another troll held his horse, while he went down
and danced with them all night long. As it was drawing near day he mounted his horse
to return home, when a maiden, who held a gold cup in her hand, invited him to
drink the stirrup cup. He took it. but having some suspicion, while he made as if he
was raising the cup to his mouth, threw the contents over his shoulder. He then
clapped spurs into his horse's sides and rode away with the cup in his hands as fast as
the horse could gallop. The trolls set off in full pursuit, and gained on him every
minute. In his distress he prayed to God, and he made a vow that, if he should be
delivered, he would bestow the cup on the Church. As he rode along by the wall of
the church yard he hastily flung the cup over it, that it at least might be secure; and
pushing on at full speed, and just as they were on the point of catching hold of the
horse, he sprang in through the farmer's gate and closed the wicket after him. Thus
was he saved, and the cup was presented to the Church.
The illustration
 Full Image |
Single Greeting Card (with matching Envelope)
Code: RD ACA SGC |
.jpg) Detail (for reference) |
|
Reproduction on 12x18" sheet
Code: RD ACA 12x18 |
||
|
Reproduction on 20x30" sheet
Code: RD ACA 20x30 |
Our Greeting Cards
When presented on Greeting Cards, this image is prepared as a tipped-on plate - in hommage to the hand-crafted
approach typical of prestige illustrated publications produced in the early decades of the 20th Century. Each card is
hand-finished, with the image presented on Ivory card stock with an accompanying envelope. On the rear of each
card we also present some information about Richard Doyle and this wonderful illustration. We have left the interior
of the cards blank so that you may write your own personal message.
Our large format reproductions
Each of our large format reproductions are prepared with archival quality materials and processes to ensure many years
of enjoyment. In addition, our reproductions are accompanied by explanatory material relating to Richard Doyle and this
wonderful illustration.
How to purchase
To purchase, simply click on the appropriate "Add to Cart" button appearing above and you will be taken through to
our Shopping Cart secured through PayPal. Multiple purchases will be consolidated by that feature and shipping and
handling costs to any destination in the world are accommodated by our flat-rate fee of US$20 for every US$200
worth of purchases.
