Beaker with Venus and Adonis
Artist: Attributed to Heinrich Jäger (Active 1690-1720)
Date: 1690-1700
Dimensions:
H: 6 1/4 in.; RIm Diam: 4 in.
Medium: Blown, with wheel-engraved decoration
Place of Origin: Germany, Brandenbrug
Classification: Glass
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 1950.42
Label Text:In the 1670s, Bohemian glassmakers developed a potash-lime glass batch formula that included a considerable quantity of chalk (carbonate of lime) to provide stability. The new glass was clearer and more brilliant than Venetian cristallo and, because it was also harder than English lead glass, it was especially suited for gem cutters to engrave decorations in deeply modeled relief. On the other hand, the Baroque glassmakers’ obsession with purity of ingredients also resulted in a chemical imbalance of the glass batch, causing the glass to “crizzle,” a condition characterized by an overall crackling of the surface or by a cloudiness, which can be observed in this vessel.
DescriptionLarge figures of Venus and Adonis in landscape
On view
In Collection(s)