The Leipzig Pokal Christoph Leipzig (master 1639-1678) Augsburg, 1635-45 Silver gilt A pokal was one of the most spectacular and characteristic types of secular treasures fashioned by the Renaissance goldsmiths active in Augsburg, Nuremberg, and elsewhere in Germany. Never intended for mass-consumption or daily use, these highly-prized vessels were presented as gifts to visiting dignitaries and ambassadors by members of the nobility or city officials. The Flagg pokal bears an Augsburg town assay mark consistent with the ones punched on goldsmiths' works created there in or around the year 1639, suggesting that this is conceivably the masterpiece pokal of Christoph Leipzig, whose mark appears on the piece. Membership in the goldsmiths' guilds in Augsburg and Nuremberg required that the candidate submit a masterpiece pokal, a gold ring, and a seal-die before being admitted as a master goldsmith.