Beaker with Venus and Adonis

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Beaker with Venus and Adonis

ArtistAttributed to Heinrich Jäger (Active 1690-1720)

Place of OriginGermany, Brandenbrug

Date1690-1700

DimensionsH: 6 1/4 in.; RIm Diam: 4 in.

MediumBlown, with wheel-engraved decoration

ClassificationGlass

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

Object number

1950.42

On View

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

DescriptionLarge figures of Venus and Adonis in landscape

Label TextIn 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.