Water Set (Grand Verres d'Eau)

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Water Set (Grand Verres d'Eau)

Manufacturer Compagnie des Cristalleries de Saint-Louis (French, founded 1586)

Dateabout 1845

DimensionsH (height with stopper): 5 1/4 in. (13.3 cm); Diam: 3 1/4 in. (8.3 cm)

MediumColorless and multi-colored lead glass; blown, lamp-worked, encased, applied, cut, and polished.

ClassificationGlass

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

Object number

2006.20B

On View

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

DescriptionThe 'Verres d'Eau' consists of a circular tray with a flared rim, its base cut at the reverse with shallow, radiating flutes, upon which rests a large and a small decanter, a covered bowl and a footed tumbler, all decorated with large hexagonal facets in the so-called nid d'abeilles or honeycomb pattern. Their bases are cut in the center with a star. The two carafe stoppers and the finial of the sugar bowl cover are each enclosing a lampworked bouquet of polychrome flowers.

Label TextPopular in Europe from the 17th to the 19th centuries, water sets, or verres d’eau, were used to serve water sweetened with sugar and other flavors. Sugar was expensive before the second half of the 19th century, and not many could afford this sweetened beverage. Accordingly, the luxurious utensils necessary for this habit displayed the wealth of their owners. This set includes a large decanter for water, a covered sugar bowl, a small decanter for a flavored liquid such as rosewater or essence of orange flowers, and a tumbler for drinking the mixture.Published ReferencesMallett, The 19th Century, 2001, p.10.

Mallett, Objects, Glass and Works of Art, 2006, p.66.

Olbrich, Hubert, "Zuckerwasser- Garnituren", Katalog des Zuckermuseums Berlin, Berlin, 1991, pp. 168-169.

Comparative ReferencesSee also Dena K. Tarshis, Objects of Fantasy: Glass inclusions of the Nineteenth Century, 2001, Santa Cruz: Paperweight Press, pp. 106-107, no. 60.