"This is an account of the unique assemblage of silver and silver-mounted artefacts belonging to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, some of them dating back to the College's foundation 650 years ago. They include extraordinary objects such as a thirteenth-century drinking vessel made of the horn of an extinct animal, as well as the everyday tools and utensils of past centuries. Although some of these objects are well known to art historians, they have never been published in detail.". "A college's or other institution's history resides not only in its written records but in the buildings and historic artefacts which define its corporate identity. The objects in this book are especially significant for being documented in the College's archives from the fourteenth century onwards.". "This book has more of an archaeological than an art-historical approach. It investigates the objects' construction, how the College came by them, their original meaning and context, how they came to survive the depredations of the Civil War, what happened to those that do not survive, evidence of wear and repair, and what they were (and still are) used for. The ultimate objective is to show how they illuminate the character and functioning of a still-flourishing medieval institution.". "The book is illustrated comprehensively with photographs by Dr. John Cleaver."--BOOK JACKET.