Covered Goblet with Portrait of George Washington

Expand

IIIFView PDF

Images(2)

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

Collections

Glass

Comparative ReferencesSee also Paul von Lichtenberg, Glasgravuren des Biedermeier. Dominik Biemann und Zeitgenossen, Regensburg: Schnell und Steiner, 2004, pp. 298-305.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.