Water Set (Grand Verres d'Eau)
Manufacturer: Compagnie des Cristalleries de Saint-Louis (French, founded 1586)
Date: about 1845
Dimensions:
H (height with stopper): 5 1/4 in. (13.3 cm); Diam: 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm)
Medium: Colorless and multi-colored lead glass; blown, lamp-worked, encased, applied, cut, and polished.
Classification: Glass
Credit Line: Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey
Object number: 2006.20A
Label Text:Popular in Europe from the 17th to the 19th centuries, water sets, or verres d’eau, were used to serve water sweetened with sugar and other flavors. Sugar was expensive before the second half of the 19th century, and not many could afford this sweetened beverage. Accordingly, the luxurious utensils necessary for this habit displayed the wealth of their owners. This set includes a large decanter for water, a covered sugar bowl, a small decanter for a flavored liquid such as rosewater or essence of orange flowers, and a tumbler for drinking the mixture.
DescriptionThe 'Verres d'Eau' consists of a circular tray with a flared rim, its base cut at the reverse with shallow, radiating flutes, upon which rests a large and a small decanter, a covered bowl and a footed tumbler, all decorated with large hexagonal facets in the so-called nid d'abeilles or honeycomb pattern. Their bases are cut in the center with a star. The two carafe stoppers and the finial of the sugar bowl cover are each enclosing a lampworked bouquet of polychrome flowers.
On view