People & relationships

Wedding in the cup

It doesn't have to mean an actual wedding, though that's the most common reading: two figures beneath an arch or a veil are the old image of celebration in the household. With this scene the cup announces a union confirmed in public — a signature, a joint decision, moving in together. Clear outlines say the matter is close to being settled; blurred grounds, that it is still being negotiated.

Position changes the tone: nearer the rim speaks of what is close, nearer the bottom of what is further off; a clearer shape speaks louder than a faint one.