Beaker Celebrating the Birth of the King of Rome
Manufacturer: PROBABLY Verrerie de Vonêche (1778-1816)
Date: about 1809 (glass), 1811 (engraving)
Dimensions:
H: 3 5/16 in. (8.4 cm); Rim Diam: 2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm); Base Diam: 2 ¾ in. (7.0 cm)
Medium: Glass; mold-blown, cut, copper-wheel engraved, applied rim.
Classification: Glass
Credit Line: Mr. and Mrs. George M. Jones, Jr. Fund
Object number: 2011.4
Label Text:This beaker commemorates the baptism of Emperor Napoléon Bonaparte’s only son and legitimate heir at Nôtre Dame Cathedral in Paris on June 10, 1811. The infant Napoléon François Joseph Charles (1811–1832) had received the title King of Rome by the French legislature upon his birth. Portrayed in profile are the young Prince Imperial and his parents, Emperor Napoléon Bonaparte and Empress Marie-Louise. Also shown is his maternal grandfather, Emperor Francis I of Austria (1768–1835), to reference the baby’s royal lineage. The elegant beaker was probably a royal commission engraved for the occasion.
DescriptionStraight-sided lead glass beaker decorated with a cut diamond pattern radiating from the center of the base and extending one-fourth up the wall, with four copper-wheel engraved profile portraits facing left and a band of stylized ivy between matte ribbons (all in “Mattschnitt”) below the applied, milled silver-gilt rim.
On view
In Collection(s)