Covered Cup (Pokal) in Celebration of Music and Dance

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Covered Cup (Pokal) in Celebration of Music and Dance

ArtistWorkshop of Gottfried Spiller (engraver) (German (Potsdam-Berlin), 1663 -1728)

Dateabout 1715-1725

Dimensions17 1/8 in. (42.8 cm)

Mediumpotash-lime glass

ClassificationGlass

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1950.43

On View

Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion (2444 Monroe Street), Glass Pavilion Gallery, 4

DescriptionPotash-lime glass, blown, applied, cut, and engraved.

Label TextA stellar example of German Baroque glass-cutting, this vessel was most likely engraved in the Berlin workshop of Gottfried Spiller (1663–1728), who had trained as a gem-cutter. The engraving depicts a continuous scene of classical figures called putti (from Italian for “boys”), representing the classical Muses of dancing and playing instruments. Dancing putti have been associated with imagery relating to weddings and childbirth since the Renaissance, and print sources with this subject were widely available as inspiration for engravers. This pokal was most likely a princely gift; it was originally in the famous royal Saxon collections at Dessau Castle.Published ReferencesPage, Jutta-Annette, The Art of Glass: Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio, Toledo Museum of Art, 2006, p. 114-116, repr. (col.) p. 115.

Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art Masterworks, Toledo, 2009, p. 190, repr. (col.).