Covered Pokal
Manufacturer: Potsdam or Zechlin Court Glasshouse (German, 1674-1734 (Potsdam) | 1736-1890 (Zechlin))
Date: 1730-1740
Dimensions:
H: 14 1/2 in. (36.8 cm)
Medium: Colorless potash glass; blown, applied, tooled, cut, and gilded.
Place of Origin: Germany, Brandenburg
Classification: Glass
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 2004.44
Label Text:In 1734, the Prussian Elector Frederick William I closed the Potsdam Court Glasshouse near Berlin because of its high consumption of firewood. By 1736 he had moved it to Zechlin in the forest-rich Mark Brandenburg region. The factory flourished because he granted it a monopoly for producing “white” (colorless) glass that was frequently decorated with high-quality gilding, cutting, and engraving. Pokals (presentation goblets) were especially prized by members of the Prussian courts, bestowed as royal gifts, and collected by the wealthy in Prussia and abroad.
DescriptionThe thistle-shaped bowl with a gilded rim and gilt-edged band of vertical flutes in raised relief around the base, set on a faceted baluster stem between a gilt knop and plain section, followed by a bell-shaped foot with a frieze of concave fluting edged by gilding. The matching cover echoes the decoration of the foot and stem with a faceted baluster finial between gilt knops.
On view
In Collection(s)