Trophy owned by the Rostock Maritime Guild

• August Ludwig Konow
• Schwerin
• 1748
• silver
• height: 52 cm

The Maritime Guild in Rostock is among the most important professional associations in the port and coastal city. It emerges in 1566 from an alliance of seafarers. The mariners join together to provide mutual protection, to share experience and to make provisions for invalidity and old age. The trophy is fashioned from silver and not the tin more commonly used, therefore reflecting the seafarers' perception of their standing in the city. Their significance is further enhanced when Duke Christian Ludwig I of Mecklenburg-Schwerin donates this valuable trophy to the guild, as seen in the royal coat of arms with crown on the lid.