goblet
Object NameWineglass
Made FromNon-Lead Glass
Dateabout 1650-1700
TechniqueMold-blown, applied, tooled, blown
SizeOverall H: 26.3 cm; Rim Diam (max): 7.8 cm; Foot Diam (max): 10.1 cm
Accession Number51.3.118
Curatorial Area(s)
Exhibitions
Beyond Venice: Glass in Venetian Style, 1500-1750
Decorative Arts of the Italian Renaissance, 1400-1600
Medieval Glass for Popes, Princes, and Peasants
Three Great Centuries of Venetian Glass
Islam and the Medieval West
Interpretive NotesThis dragon-stem goblet exemplifies the virtuosity of Venetian glass makers. The complex, colorful stem shows a serpent with a convoluted body, outspread wings, open jaws, and a crest. Known in Italian as vetri a serpenti, serpent-stem goblets were very fashionable in the 17th century. The serpent motif is frequently found in the decorative arts of the Baroque period. The high viscosity of the Venetian soda-lime glass was ideal for the creation of such elaborate forms. Substantial numbers of large covered glasses with flat, symmetrical serpent stems were made by Venetian craftsmen in the Netherlands and Germany during the second half of the 17th century. In the 18th century, many of these glasses were engraved with genre scenes, floral motifs, and inscriptions.
Italy, Venice
Provenance
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