Covered Goblet with Portrait of George Washington

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Covered Goblet with Portrait of George Washington

Artistattributed to Franz Paul Zach (Bohemian, 1820-1881)

Manufacturer Glass manufactory Theresienthal of Franz Steigerwald, Zwiesel, Germany

Dateabout 1850-1860

DimensionsH: 15 ¼ in. (39 cm); Lid Diam: 5 7/8 in. (15 cm) (dealer)

MediumColorless potash-chalk glass with transparent blue overlay; mold-blown, applied, cut, polished; copper-wheel engraved.

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of Carl B. Spitzer, by exchange

Object number

2008.110A-B

Not on View

DescriptionBlue flash glass with portrait of George Washington. The copper-wheel engraved decoration of the goblets' conical bowls is set-off in raised blue glass relief against a matte-engraved colorless background. Each consists of a portrait bust of George Washington (three-quarter view facing left) set within a symmetrical cartouche of flowering vines and leaves. The outside edges of the cartouche terminate in a mask with a feathery headdress perhaps derived from French 17th-century decorations. The reverse side of the bowls have polished lenses or "viewing windows" consisting of a large central roundel surrounded by six smaller roundels, each window outlined in blue. The engraved decoration is bordered at the top by two narrow blue bands and a colorless rim, and at the bottom by eight blue-outlined flute cuts in the lower portion of the bowl. The stems have six blue-outlined flutes and a bold knop that is decorated with a broad blue band with large printy cuts and two narrow blue bands. The flute cuts widen on the flaring foot and terminate in trefoils that point downward. Trefoils pointed upward alternate between them. The edge of the feet have a broad blue band, also with printy cuts. The domed lids have an edge that projects significantly over the goblets' rim and a flaring finial that terminates in a button. The button on top is cut to clear with a star and surrounded by a ring of printy cuts. The shaft of the finial is cut with six blue-outlined clear flutes. The dome is cut with pointed trefoils (six pointing up alternating with six pointing down) and the shoulder is decorated with printy cuts. The copper-wheel engraved decoration of the goblets' conical bowls is set-off in raised blue glass relief against a matte-engraved colorless background. Each consists of a portrait bust of George Washington (three-quarter view facing left) set within a symmetrical cartouche of flowering vines and leaves. The outside edges of the cartouche terminate in a mask with a feathery headdress perhaps derived from French 17th-century decorations. The reverse side of the bowls have polished lenses or "viewing windows" consisting of a large central roundel surrounded by six smaller roundels, each window outlined in blue. The engraved decoration is bordered at the top by two narrow blue bands and a colorless rim, and at the bottom by eight blue-outlined flute cuts in the lower portion of the bowl. The stems have six blue-outlined flutes and a bold knop that is decorated with a broad blue band with large printy cuts and two narrow blue bands. The flute cuts widen on the flaring foot and terminate in trefoils that point downward. Trefoils pointed upward alternate between them. The edge of the feet have a broad blue band, also with printy cuts. The domed lids have an edge that projects significantly over the goblets' rim and a flaring finial that terminates in a button. The button on top is cut to clear with a star and surrounded by a ring of printy cuts. The shaft of the finial is cut with six blue-outlined clear flutes. The dome is cut with pointed trefoils (six pointing up alternating with six pointing down) and the shoulder is decorated with printy cuts.

Label TextThough revered during his lifetime, George Washington (1732-1799) reached an almost saint-like status in America by the mid-19th century. These goblets with Washington’s portrait were German-made, but surely meant for the American market. The remarkably fine copper-wheel engraving is based on a popular German engraving by Georg Jacob Felsing (1802-1883) after a design by Giuseppe Longhi (1766-1831), which in turn was derived from well-known portraits of Washington by American painters John Trumbull (1756-1843) and Gilbert Stuart (1755- 1828). The portrait was designed to be viewed through polished lenses or “viewing windows” that magnify and multiply the intricately engraved image. The goblets (one broken, one intact) were most likely decorated by the Bohemian master engraver Franz Paul Zach (1820-1881), who worked for Franz Steigerwald, a German manufacturer and retailer of glass in Munich. Steigerwald became a noted presence at the World’s Fairs and developed an international clientele. It is possible that the intact goblet was commissioned as a replacement for the broken, slightly heavier object. The fractured piece was carefully repaired with copper staples, a common form of restoration for cherished porcelain and glass objects in the 19th century.Comparative ReferencesSee also Paul von Lichtenberg, Glasgravuren des Biedermeier. Dominik Biemann und Zeitgenossen, Regensburg: Schnell und Steiner, 2004, pp. 298-305.