Bordeaux Glass From The 'Aegir' Service

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Bordeaux Glass From The 'Aegir' Service

Designer Peter Behrens (German, 1868-1940)

Manufacturer Rheinische Glashütten (German, 1864 - 1931)

Date1905

DimensionsH: 7 1/16 in. (18 cm)

MediumColorless and transparent red glass; blown, applied, cut, polished

ClassificationGlass

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

Object number

2005.9

Not on View

DescriptionFunnel-shaped bowl with cracked-off and polished rim, applied to a solid, transparent red, bi-conical, faceted knop, followed by a funnel-shaped, colorless pedestal base with a wide, flaring rim with cut and polished edge.

Label TextFounded in 1864, the Rheinische Glashütten AG at Ehrenfeld near Cologne became famous in the 1880s and 1890s for their re-introduction of old glass forms and techniques. For some time around the turn of the century, well-known artists and designers worked for the company, including German architect and industrial designer Peter Behrens. The "Aegir" series is named for the god of the sea in Norse mythology. He was both worshipped and feared by sailors, who believed that Aegir would occasionally appear on the surface to take ships, men, and cargo alike with him to his hall at the bottom of the ocean. The design of the glass, with its broad base, would be suitable for use on unsteady surfaces, such as on a seagoing vessel.Published ReferencesPioneering 20th Century Design: The Torsten Bröhan Collection, Sotheby's, London, Sale L05810, March 8, 2005, Lot 70.

Christie's Sale, Designed by Architects, London, October 8, 2003, lot 33.

Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, The Bauhaus Experiment: Art & Design from the Toledo Museum of Art, August 25, 2020-February 7, 2021.Comparative ReferencesSee also Das Schöne und der Alltag. Die Anfänge modernen Designs 1900-1914, Deutsches Museum für Kunst in Handel und Gewerbe, Kaiser Wilhelm Museum Krefeld, Karl Ernst Osthaus Museum Hagen, exhibition catalogue, Krefeld, 1997, p. 88, no. GL07.