Poisoned Cup (Cup of St. John)

The poisoned cup is an emblem of the Catholic saint John the Evangelist. The symbols stems from the popular miracle story whereby at HJohn’s blessing, the poison in a cup of wine intended for his consumption is transformed into a serpent. 

Interestingly, the image of a serpent rising from a cup is described in a vision of Isis in the Golden Ass of Apuleius:

“In her left hand was a golden cup, from the top of whose slender handle rose an asp, towering with head erect and its throat distended on both sides. ” 


The Poisoned Cup 


John transforms the poison