Wine Glass (Roemer) with Dwarf Musicians

Place of OriginGermany [glass]; The Netherlands [engraving]

Date1661

Dimensions11 1/2 in. (29.2 cm)

Mediumblown glass

ClassificationGlass

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

Object number

1953.28

On View

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

DescriptionBlown glass with wheel-engraved decoration of musician dwarfs after etchings by Jacques Callot, grape arbor and fantastic fishes, signed and dated by Carel Du Quesne

Label TextThe Dutch roemer (meaning “to praise” or “to toast”) is a type of wine glass that evolved in Germany and in the Netherlands over several centuries, reaching perfection in the 17th century. Usually colored in shades of green, roemers were popular in the Netherlands for drinking white wine. The stamped “raspberry” prunts on the base helped the drinker keep a firm grip on the glass in an era before the widespread use of forks, when hands tended to get greasy during a meal. The eight wheel-engraved, dwarf musicians on the bowl of this glass derive from engravings by the French artist Jacques Callot (1592–1635) from a 1616 series called “Various Hunchbacked Figures” (Figure Gobbi). These images enjoyed lasting popularity in Europe. The sea creatures in the register beneath the figures were taken from engravings by Nicolaes de Bruyn (1571–1656).Published ReferencesToledo Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art Masterworks, Toledo, 2009, p. 172, repr. (col.).