Trophy
Object number2019.43.1
Manufacturer
G. E. Keyser
Date1884
OriginLeipzig, Germany
MediumSilver; Metal
Credit LineGift of Joseph F. De Stefano
DescriptionSilver shooting cup trophy. Circular bowl has ornate exterior relief decorations and flared top section featuring rolled rim; bowl's exterior decorations include four leaf-bordered circles containing symbols including shield with lion and stripes, crossbow(?) weapon, eagle crest, and target surmounting crossed rifles with hat at apex; leafy forms separate the four circles. Stem is ornately decorated featuring squat spherical knop just below bowl. Bottom of hollow stem is ribbed and flares outward to hollow, domed circular foot. DimensionsHeight x Diameter: 8.125 x 4.438 in. (20.6 x 11.3 cm)InscriptionsGerman text around top perimeter of foot "Achtes Deutsches Bundesschiessen Leipzig Juli 1884"; translation "Eighth German Federal Shooting Leipzig July 1884".
MarksText on top edge of foot below the "Leipzig" inscription: "G.E. KEYSER / LEIPZIG / [symbol] / 800".
Historical NotesThis shooting club trophy was awarded in the German Shooting Federation Competition of 1884. It was brought to Western Pennsylvania by a German immigrant who settled in the Greenock area (Elizabeth Township) in the late 1800s. This Trophy cup represents a wider tradition of shooting clubs once prevalent in German communities across Western Pennsylvania. According to donor Joseph F. De Stefano's relative, this piece was awarded in 1884 to a German man, a citizen of Germany at that time, for his excellence in marksmanship. The man later emigrated to the United States and became an American citizen in the late 1800’s. He resided his entire life in Greenock, Pennsylvania, a small community along the Yough River. The donor’s uncle, Peter D. Stephan, received it as a gift sometime in the 1920’s in honor of their friendship. While this cup reportedly came from Germany, it represented the tradition of the Schutzen kameraden, friendly shooting competitions offered by rifle clubs and hunting clubs maintained by German-American groups once prevalent in Pittsburgh. The tradition in many areas partially disappeared in the 1910s and 1920s, as German groups minimized their exposure during and after World War I.
Previous owner
Peter D. Stephan
(1901 - 1991)
Related institution
German Shooting Federation
On View
Not on view
